The Aftermath
by AbiMF
Summary: Rachel and Eddie have been living behind the facade of indifference for years, but when Melissa's words force them to confront the feelings they've been battling against, might they finally get a chance at happiness? Set end of Series 4 Episode 8 – Reddie
1. Chapter 1

_**AN: Hi guys! This was originally written over a year ago for the WR forums, but it was hanging around on my hard drive and I figured I might as well get it with all my other fics! There's 18 chapters in total, each about 3500 words, making this the length of a fairly substantial novel, but I hope that won't put you off too much. It's all written, edited and ready to go, so I should be putting a new chapter up every few days depending on response and what my timetable does, but I vow never to make you wait longer that a week, internet permitting.**_

_**Okay, things you should know:**_

_**1. This is set at the end of episode 8, series 4 after the argument between Rachel, Eddie and Melissa in the hall and becomes fairly AU from then on.**_

_**2. The Maxine/Earl storyline never happened, and she is alive and kicking (you'll understand later)**_

_**3. All the Rachel's past stuff at the end of series 3 DID happen, if anyone wasn't watching and needs catching up on that just drop me a line.**_

_**Okay, that's the boring stuff over, I hope you enjoy:**_

**The Aftermath – Chapter 1**

"_It's time to make your decision Eddie, it's me or her"_

"_It's me or her"_

"_Me or her"_

Rachel staggered slightly as the words travelled around and around in her head, the image of her sister's accusing and tearstained face accompanying them. Attempting to mentally pull herself together, she continued her desperate near-run to her office, feeling infinitely thankful that she'd had the good sense to send Philip home; she couldn't let him see her like this. She couldn't let _anyone_ see her like this.

'_Except Eddie'_ a small voice at the back of her mind pointed out, and she attempted to push it away, although the implications were clear. Yes, Eddie. Her deputy. Her friend. Her sister's fiancé. The man she was completely and irrevocably in love with. Yes, _that_ Eddie. The tears were falling properly now, blurring her vision and weakening her knees so that she all but fell into her office, just managing to push the door shut behind her before she sank to her knees on the floor, sobbing.

She cried for the look on her sister's face, and the guilt that stabbed at her for not being able to bury her feelings for Eddie deep enough to be out of sight. She cried for the relationship they'd only just begun to rebuild, with the knowledge that, whatever Eddie's decision, she was unlikely to ever have a close conversation with her sister again.

She cried for Philip, who had been holding this secret inside for far too long, and who was now probably sat in her home, wondering whether or not he'd ruined his mother's chances of happiness.

She sobbed when her mind became filled with thoughts of Eddie and the close friendship they'd shared, a friendship that had been on the brink of moving into something more when her insecurities had surfaced, causing her to push him away and effectively ruin any chance of a relationship.

"_I know you loved Rachel, Eddie." _The phrase tore her apart with guilt, but the use of the past tense hurt even more, if that was possible. Because maybe he had loved her, but he loved Melissa now. _"Me or her." _His beautiful carefree fiancé, or his damaged, emotional friend. It wasn't really a choice, was it?

Rachel wondered numbly how quickly she could find a replacement maths teacher, and who would stand in in the meantime. Maybe Tom could take over the deputy headship, she'd have to ask him tomorrow. Tomorrow. The thought almost caused a fresh bout of tears, so painful was the thought of the school without Eddie.

But she was strong, stronger than this. And his decision would have been easy, would have been made. Maybe him and Mel had even managed to catch their flight. Which reminded her of the other person in this whole sorry situation. Philip. Philip who was almost certainly sat at home worrying right now, while she was here feeling sorry for herself. Pulling herself to her feet, and wincing at the headache which threatened to throw her off balance, Rachel made her way to her bathroom, splashing some water over her face and cleaning the mascara from her cheeks before re-applying it. Studying herself critically in the mirror, she was relived to see that it was only the slight redness around her eyes that gave any hint that she had been crying. She was ready.

Pulling her coat around her, Rachel strode out of her office and down the corridor towards her car, holding her head high and fighting against the memories that still threatened to engulf her, causing her eyes to prickle once again. She would _not _cry, not again. Reaching the doors of the school, she hurriedly pushed through them, wanting nothing more than to return to the security of her home, although in her mind she was already trying to work out how to deal with the next hurdle; what to tell Philip.

This pre-occupation was possibly the reason that she didn't hear the doors of the school open again behind her. It wasn't until she heard her name, uttered but someone whose voice she would always know, that she finally responded.

"Eddie?"

Rachel turned as she spoke, spotting her deputy stood on the school steps, looking down at her, a somewhat intimidating mixture of anger, desperation and decisiveness on his normally smiling face. For a long moment, no one said anything, both teachers simply observing one another.

Rachel was trying her hardest to work out what Eddie's decision had been, whilst battling with the war going on inside her head, her heart aching to be told that he had walked away from Melissa, that he had chosen her, while family responsibility and a crushing sense of guilt told her that she should be hoping for her sister's happiness before her own. As his eyes met hers, however, all the reasons for letting him walk away were suddenly wiped from her mind, and she felt herself hoping desperately that, by some strange and thoroughly undeserved twist of fate, he had chosen to leave her sister. That he had chosen her.

For his part, Eddie was wondering what exactly he had been thinking when he'd let himself get carried away with Melissa's flirtations, when Rachel, wonderful, beautiful, brave Rachel, had been there all the time. He'd always known that it would take time to win her trust, and yet he'd almost ruined everything between them because he had been too blind to see how afraid she was. His musings were brought up short however, when his eyes, which had been searching her face, came to rest on hers, resulting in an agonising realisation. The skin around her eyes was red and raw. She'd been crying. She'd left that hall, and she'd cried, and he'd been too busy yelling at her sister to even think about following her. Why was he always so stupid?

Finally, the suspense grew too much for Rachel, and she attempted to pull Eddie out of his thoughts, unaware that her previous thoughts had caused the tears to once again move closer to the surface, so that her voice shook when she spoke,

"Eddie? Why… why are here? Shouldn't you be with… with Mel..issa?" They both noticed the way she stumbled over her sister's name, and the flash of pain that crossed her face as she spoke it, an emotional reaction that pushed Eddie over the edge, and caused him to hurry down the steps towards her, stopping in front of her and taking her hands in his own.

"No, Rachel. I'm exactly where I should be." The words tumbled from his lips without thinking, and their eyes met suddenly, his swimming with tears of love and regret, her simply wide in surprise and incomprehension. It had been a long time since Rachel had allowed herself to be loved by anyone, and suddenly the fact that only a moment ago she had been desperately hoping for a relationship was irrelevant. This situation was alien to her, and her emotions were in too much turmoil at the moment for her to work it out.

So she did what she always did when she didn't know how to deal with a situation; she reverted to her headmistress persona. Slipping the professional mask firmly into place she smiled vaguely at Eddie, nodding in the direction of the school;

"Yes, it's a bit hard to leave it, isn't it? Good thing too, I don't know how I… I mean we, would have coped without you. You're a good ma… deputy head, Eddie."

He opened his mouth to speak, to tell her that he wasn't leaving Melissa for the school, that he was leaving her because he didn't love her, because he loved her older, beautiful sister instead, but before he could form a single word she was speaking again as she opened her car door and climbed in.

"Anyway, I'd better get back to mine; I sent Philip there, no idea what to tell him, poor lad, I'll see you tomorrow." And then she was closing the door and pulling away, leaving a shell-shocked and confused Eddie stood in the middle of an empty car-park, missing the wistful look she shot in his direction as she left, and wondering what the _hell_ had just happened.

The following morning Rachel was infinitely grateful to return to school, following an evening of uncomfortable silence between her and Philip, who had demanded to know _everything_ his mother had said and then, after assuring Rachel that Melissa had been _"a spiteful cow"_ had retreated to the spare room where he had remained for the rest of the evening, immersed in his school books, despite having been up to date before he'd even started. The drive to the school had been passed in much the same way, as he'd replied with monosyllabic answers to every one of Rachel's concerned questions, and then leapt out of the car and disappeared into the crowd of students as soon as the car had slowed sufficiently, acknowledging Rachel's goodbye with a half-wave, and leaving his aunt sitting in the car, staring after him with a somewhat forlorn expression.

"You alright?" Rachel started, turning towards to source of the voice and jumping when she saw Eddie's face looming through the now-open door. Spotting this, he laid a hand gently on her shoulder, smiling slightly;

"S'all right, Rach, only me!"

Breaking into a smile and rolling her eyes, Rachel opened her mouth to tell him that that was _exactly_ what she was worried about, when she suddenly became aware of Eddie's hand, still resting warm on her shoulder, and of quite how close he was, quite how close his lips were to hers… in fact, if she was just to lean forwards a fraction… Gasping slightly at the direction her thoughts had taken, Rachel shook her head and pulled swiftly backwards, turning away from Eddie to collect some files off the floor.

Eddie sighed, stepping backwards to allow Rachel enough room to get out of the car, the spark between them was undeniable… and yet she continued to deny it. Why couldn't she see just how much he loved her? Just how much he wanted to be with her? His thoughts interrupted by the sound of Rachel closing her car door, he quickly reached forwards to relieve her of some files, causing her to flash him a grateful smile as she locked her car and they made their way into school together, a somewhat awkward silence hanging between them.

This was going to be a _long_ day.

After walking Rachel to her office, a journey that had been passed with inane chatter and had been ended abruptly as they arrived at their destination, when Rachel had grabbed her belongings off him with a muttered thanks, before disappearing into her office and closing the door so fast Eddie had stood there for a few seconds, blinking somewhat stupidly as he tried to work out what had happened. That seemed to be happening a lot recently.

Realising that he wasn't currently welcome in her space, Eddie sighed and made his way back through the school corridors to the staffroom.

Ten minutes later, Eddie left the staffroom again, having been unable to put up with the constant stream of useless platitudes and sympathetic looks he decided to head back up the Rachel's office; even the crippling awkwardness would be better than the current atmosphere in the staffroom. As he arrived at her door, however, he found himself suddenly unsure of his logic, as his mind played back a montage of awkward moments from that morning and the previous evening. But then, more memories joined the ones in his mind; Rachel laughing at something he'd said, the smile on her face at the student's welcome back at the beginning of that term, and then, finally, the undeniable look of hope on her face when he'd called her name yesterday evening. Oh yes, he was going in to see her. And it wasn't just to escape from the staffroom. He needed to make her see.

This decision made, Eddie knocked gently on the door, hearing her voice calling him to enter, and obeying. As the door clicked shut behind him she glanced up from her paperwork, surprise registering on her face as she realised who it was.

"Eddie? Back so soon?" She tried to keep the smile from showing on her face as she said it. She wasn't _that_ pleased to see him. Was she?

"Couldn't keep away." He ginned, and Rachel found herself getting lost in his eyes, those eyes… she quickly pulled herself together, laughing somewhat nervously, and reverted to business;

"Anyway, did you want something?"

Eddie sighed loudly in frustration. Why did she keep doing that? Why did she always put those walls back up? Well, not this time. This time, he was going to force her to acknowledge this, to accept what was between them. And he was going to start with complete and utter honesty;

"You. I wanted to see you."

"Oh," Rachel gave a nervous laugh, "well, you've seen me now."

He stepped forward, moving towards her, coming to stop before the desk, and taking her hands, looking deep into her eyes before he spoke his next words;

"Not enough. I could stand here and watch you forever, but it would never be enough." Shocked by the sincerity in his voice and the love that she could see in his eyes, Rachel found herself powerless to respond, simply staring at him, surprise clear on her face. Eddie decided to continue;

"Rachel, I… I think, I mean, I know, in fact, I think I've known for an awfully long time. You see, what I'm trying to say is… well…"

"Rachel, oh, Eddie, sorry to interrupt, but you're going to be late for assembly." Both of their heads snapped around and Eddie quickly dropped Rachel's hands, as they spotted her secretary's head in the doorway. Tearing her eyes away from Eddie's, Rachel nodded, and Bridget disappeared again. There was a moment of silence, and then Rachel rose, making her way quickly to the door and reaching for the handle, when Eddie's voice broke the silence;

"I love you."

_**Reviews are loved like the end of exams (and if you haven't got there yet then that is LOTS!) :D x**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**AN: Hello again! Just wanted to say thanks to everyone for the wonderful comments, I'm still neck-high in exams so they really cheered me up :D. For all of you guys, and particularly Stella (who I still think of as Elphaba :P) because your comments make me smile and your fics even more so. Next chapter:**_

**The Aftermath – Chapter 2**

"_I love you"_

Rachel froze at the words, wondering if she was imagining things. Surely… surely he didn't just say that. He didn't feel that way about her. Did he? She turned slowly to face him, and her voice shook slightly when she spoke;

"What did you just say?"

Eddie walked slowly towards her, his eyes not leaving hers as he raised a hand to gently caress her cheek, noticing the soft "oh" that escaped from her lips at the gesture. Softly, with a voice full of the love that he felt for her, Eddie repeated the words;

"I love you"

Rachel's eyes fluttered open, and she saw the truth behind Eddie's words, and suddenly, he was just so close, and so sincere, and she loved him _so_ much, that she couldn't resist any more. Slowly, she leaned towards him, as he mirrored her actions, her heart rate speeding up in anticipation of something she'd been waiting for for far too long. Slowly, so slowly, they moved towards each other…

"Rachel!" The call from outside broke the spell, and head teacher and deputy pulled swiftly apart, Rachel smiling somewhat wryly at Eddie, muttering "later" as she turned and left the office, trying to get her breathing back under control as she made her way towards assembly. Right, now what was she supposed to be talking about? Ah yes, the environment, right. Recycling, switching off lights… there was a lot you could do in the dark… no, focus. Okay, so switching off computer screens, using less plastic bags… oh G-d she was there. Okay, don't say anything embarrassing, particularly not about Eddie, in front of six hundred students. She entered the hall.

The assembly was going well. Rachel had mentioned many of the things on her list, and was now moving on to her point about switching off computer monitors when you were finished. So far, apart from the fact that she'd arrived late, she didn't think she'd made one mistake. Then, as she was halfway through explaining how helping the school save money on energy bills would have a direct positive impact on the students, the doors at the back of the hall opened quietly and Eddie slipped in, his eyes instantly locating her. As their eyes met, Rachel forgot what she was saying. In her mind, the entire student body and all of her staff simply ceased to exist, and she was just about to step off the stage and cross the hall when heard coughing coming from the front row. Or, more specifically, from Steph. Ah, yes, right. The assembly. Tearing her eyes away from Eddie with difficulty, Rachel finished her speech, and dismissed the students, keeping her eyes firmly focused on her pupils, not trusting herself to even risk a glance to the back of the hall.

As soon as the last student had filed out of the hall, Rachel glanced towards the doors, expecting to see Eddie there waiting for her. The room was empty. Sighing in disappointment and blinking back irrational tears, Rachel made her way to her office. Half of her was expecting to find Eddie there, waiting for her with that same cheeky smile that she loved so much. As she pushed the door open, however, she was surprised to find the office empty, without so much of a note. Sighing, she sank into the chair behind her desk, and pulled a pile of paperwork towards her, spotting the teachers' timetable to her left and unconsciously seeking Eddie's name, surprised to realise that he had a free period now. She bit her lip, closing her eyes against the threatening tears and leaning forwards to rest her head on the desk. She'd known it was too good to be true.

Pulling herself together, she seemed to be doing that a lot recently; Rachel attempted to lose herself in paperwork, although since most of it just involved signing things it unfortunately left large amounts of brain free for thinking. Thoughts which, for some unknown reason, kept returning to a certain deputy. Now she was just being silly, she mentally chastised herself. Eddie had just been missing Melissa, obviously, and she had happened to be there. Yes, that must have been it, and now he was feeling embarrassed about it, and avoiding her. Well, she'd just have to give him time, and try to ignore it. After all, she'd just got caught up in the moment, it wasn't as though she'd really wanted him to kiss her, had she? As her mind returned to that moment, she was forced to admit that, yes, she had wanted him to kiss her. She'd wanted it very much. But she would just have to accept that he didn't feel that way about her, and move on. She had no choice.

Rachel was so wrapped up in her thoughts, that she didn't hear her door to her office open quietly, or the entrant cross the room to come to stand behind her. In fact, she didn't realise that she was no longer alone until she felt hands on her shoulders, and a soft voice spoke;

"Rach? You okay?" Turning her head to look over her shoulder, Rachel was surprised to find the focus of her thoughts standing right behind her.

"Eddie! I thought you'd… gone." He smiled slightly at the uncertainty on her face, rubbing his thumb reassuringly along her shoulder as he replied;

"Yeah, sorry about that, I had to have a word with Aleesha and Danielle; this thing with Rob has really gone too far!" Smiling down at Rachel, he took her hand, and attempted to pull her up. At her confused look, he chuckled; "I believe we have some unfinished business."

Allowing herself to be pulled to her feet, Rachel stepped out from behind her chair, sighing in contentment as Eddie wrapped one arm around her waist and pulled her towards him. This time, it was Rachel who murmured those three life-changing words;

"I love you, Eddie." This time, as their lips met ever-so-softly, there was no-one to interrupt the moment. This time, it was perfect.

Eddie and Rachel were stood in silence, their arms wrapped around each other and their foreheads resting gently together as they stared into each others' eyes. Finally, Rachel broke the silence, her voice a gentle whisper,

"I've been waiting for this for so long."

Eddie smiled, "Me too, Rach, me too."

Leaning forwards, he pressed his lips gently to hers again, pouring all of the emotion that he had felt for months and been unable to put into words into the kiss, smiling against her lips as he felt her hand tangle in his hair. Neither was sure quite how long they stayed like that, the kiss slowly turning from tender to passionate, but it was only a knock on the door that drove them apart, making both head and deputy jump, and causing Rachel to call;

"One moment," to the intruder, in a slightly breathless tone, as she and Eddie straightened their hair and clothing, and she reached across, laughing, to wipe a lipstick smudge from his cheek, muttering;

"Look busy," as she crossed the room to let in whoever it was on the other side of the door. Eddie obediently went to sit in a chair next to hers at his desk, pulling some paperwork towards him and attempting to look as though he was working on it, hurriedly turning it the right way up when he finally tore his eyes away from Rachel and focussed on the sheets in front of him.

Rachel, calm, composed Rachel, took a deep breath, put on her most welcoming smile, and opened the door;

"Steph! Hi, what can I do for you?"

'_Oh God, why did it have to be her?'_

Steph smiled as she entered the room, the grin making her look somewhat like a tiger that had just spotted a lone fawn nearby. Rachel gulped involuntarily, beckoning her least favourite member of staff (with the exception perhaps of Grantley) over to the chair next to her desk, before moving around and sitting on her own, looking at Steph expectantly. Steph, however, was simply glancing between a slightly smug-looking Eddie and an undeniably nervous Rachel, obviously trying to work something out.

'_Hmmm, well, he did break up with Melissa. Still, prim professional Rachel? No, they couldn't have… could they?'_

An impatient Rachel cleared her throat, "Steph?" She'd intended to simply draw her colleague's attention back to the matter at hand, whatever that was, but the unintentional warning tone was clear in her voice. Steph raised her eyebrows;

"Yes, Rachel?" She struggled to keep the smirk from spreading across her face; she might not be able to work out what was causing it, but did she enjoy making her boss so uncomfortable!

"You wanted something?" Rachel replied pointedly, impatience now colouring her tone. After all, she'd been happy before Steph had barged in. Very, very happy.

Steph nodded, "yes, about those extra French classes for the year 10s," Rachel was suddenly distracted by something decidedly hand-shaped landing on her knee. She attempted to kick Eddie under the table.

"Ouch!" Cried Steph indignantly, as something kicked her under the table. Rachel flushed, "Oh, so sorry Steph, I, er, got my heel caught on the table."

'_I could bloody kill Eddie, and I don't know what he's smirking about, they'll be talking about him too if Steph gets the wrong idea!'_

Steph's eyebrows raised, but she didn't comment, instead continuing with what she had been saying; "yes, anyway, I'm really not sure I can cover those classes, I prefer my lunch-hours to be my own…"

Rachel's breath quickened as she felt Eddie's hand return, his thumb gently caressing her knee and making her stomach do somersaults.

'_Eddie! Well, I can't try and kick him again, I guess I'd better just ignore it… where is that hand __going__? Okay Rachel, focus, focus. Now, extra French lessons, Steph trying to worm out of th… God that feels good! No, task at hand, stop Steph from getting out of those… Eddie! Those French lessons._

"Y… yes Steph, I completely understand that, but **you** have to understand that all the teachers are doing, Eddie!" Rachel squealed, as his hand crept to the inside of her thigh, getting dangerously high. Steph raised her eyebrows.

"I doubt that, Rachel!" At Rachel's confused look, she smirked, then continued, "I don't think _all_ the staff are doing Eddie, no offence mate." Eddie smirked, and Rachel flushed.

"No, sorry, he stood on my foot. Anyway, no, Steph, I don't think you can duck out of these, they're GCSE students! They need all the help they can… get!" Rachel's voice rose unusually high as Eddie resumed his torture.

"Anyway, don't you have a class now?" The dismissal was clear, and Steph's eyebrows shot up into her hairline, before she rose stiffly, nodded to Eddie, and strode out the room, wanting to puzzle over Rachel's odd behaviour.

As soon as the door swung shut behind her, Rachel stood and crossed the room, clicking the lock firmly into place. Eddie wasn't going to get away _that_ easily.

As he'd seen what she was doing, Eddie had risen as well, crossing the room towards Rachel and placing his hands on her shoulders, gently spinning her around, half-expecting to be met with anger. When he met her eyes, however, he saw nothing but dancing amusement. Smiling back at her, he was still somewhat surprised when it was her that initiated the contact between them, placing her hands on his waist and pulling him towards her, before proceeding to place feather-light kisses along his jawbone and down his neck. When she reached Eddie's collar-bone, Rachel paused, before beginning to work her way tantalisingly slowly back up towards his mouth, smirking as she saw the look of desire on his face and leaning towards him slowly, allowing him to feel her breath, warm on his face, before pulling back abruptly, slipping the lock on the door back open, and striding over to her desk, where she sat, a smug look on her face as Eddie opened his eyes and looked around, confused;

"Rachel?"

Rachel raised her eyebrows at him, "**Never** put me in that situation again, do you hear? It was thoroughly unprofessional, and it was Steph, for goodness' sake, it'll be all over the school by the end of lunch!"

Eddie opened his mouth to apologise, but Rachel cut over him; "Don't you have year elevens to teach?"

Eddie sighed, and tried again, "Rachel, I…"

Unable to keep the pretence up, she laughed, and flapped her hands at the door, "Class, now! What do I pay you for?"

"My amazing company?"

"Shoo!"

"Don't I get a kiss?" Eddie asked hopefully, sidling up to Rachel.

Rachel shook her head, attempting a stern expression. It failed, but she continued anyway, "Don't push it!"

Eddie attempted a 'terrified' expression, and left the room, his laughter echoing down the corridor.

As the sound faded away, Rachel sighed, and pulled her paperwork towards her once more, realising that, with her current level of concentration, it would take her at least the next week to just get through the relatively mediocre pile in front of her. Better get started then.

Surprisingly enough, Rachel did manage to lose herself in paperwork, and it was an hour later that the bell ringing caused her to raise her head from the pile of documents and cast a hopeful look towards the door. A quick glance at the timetable, however, destroyed her hopes of seeing Eddie before lunch; he had another class now, in the room he'd just been teaching in and over the other side of the school. He wouldn't have time to come and see her. She sighed, and picked up her pen again. However, she'd only written another three words when she was distracted by a knock on the door. Smiling at the possibility of Eddie being on the other side, she called out, "come in!" and watched as the door opened to reveal… Steph. Oh. Rachel made a mental note to do a little damage control in this meeting with the school's chief gossip (yes, Steph _was_ worse than the kids).

"Steph, hi! What can I do for you?" The blonde smiled, and entered, moving to sit in front of Rachel's desk without invitation, and launching straight into what she come to say;

"Well, it's about those extra French lessons, Rachel," she began, in a slightly cajoling tone. Rachel resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She'd thought it might have been. Before she had time to respond, however, Steph was speaking again; "you see, I understand that they're my responsibility, and I will take responsibility for them," Rachel's eyebrows shot up in surprise, "no, I will, they're my students and I want them to do well," she paused slightly awkwardly, before clearing her throat and continuing, "but, you see, Maxine has a doctor's appointment tomorrow, and I promised I'd go with her, so, I was wondering, whether you'd mind finding cover for me, just this once?" she smiled hopefully as she finished, and it took Rachel a moment to digest what she'd just said.

"Oh, well, of course, if you have to go with Maxine, I'll sort something, don't worry. And thanks Steph, for not fighting me on this." Rachel smiled warmly, a smile which faltered slightly at her French teacher's next words, "By the way, are you alright Rachel? You seemed a little… distracted… earlier." Steph looked only politely interested, but Rachel was sure she could see something more behind her eyes. Still, Rachel decided the best way to deal with this was to treat as a simple expression of concern, rather than the dig for information it most likely was;

"Yeah, Fine thanks Steph, I just had a lot on my mind, you know, with Melissa, and Philip, and… everything" she finished rather lamely, wondering why she'd even brought her wayward sister up. To her surprise, however, Steph's expression changed to one of sympathy, and she stood, clearly preparing to leave,

"Yeah, that must have been hard, I'm sorry. And thanks, Rachel, for covering." Smiling sympathetically, the French teacher left the room, leaving a rather stunned Rachel behind. It was much, much, later that Rachel realised that Maxine couldn't be going to the doctor's tomorrow, or she'd have applied for a leave of absence. Smiling slightly, Rachel sighed. Some things never changed.

_**Well, keeping up with expectations? :P And I have a Mechanics exam tomorrow morning, so reviews will be loved like A grades :D x**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**I am so, unbelievably sorry. Real life, exams, university applications and the fact that I barely every use a computer to get on the internet any more conspired to keep this from you, but I'm back, and posting, and hoping that I can get the rest of this up in the next few weeks. So after an insanely long wait, here you go:**_

**The Aftermath – Chapter 3**

It was 45 minutes later, when Rachel was beginning to have trouble concentrating as the clock ticked steadily closer to lunch-time, and Eddie, when her blissful bubble was popped rather suddenly by a flustered and guilty-looking Tom, who came running into her office without knocking, startling her and causing her to jump up, and run around the desk to his side;

"Tom? Are you okay? What's happened?" Tom, still gasping for breath, shook his head to indicate he couldn't talk, and thrust a crumpled piece of paper into Rachel's hands. She unfolded it, looking down at the smudged ink, reading six simple words;

'_Tell Rachel I said bye,_

_Philip.'_

Rachel stared at the paper a moment, trying to digest the information she'd just been given, and then the world was swaying and Tom's arm was around her, guiding her to a chair, and he was talking, saying something about Philip having asked to go the toilet, and only just having found the note, only it didn't matter, because all Rachel could see was her nephew's face as he'd sat in the car that morning, stony and pained, and all she could hear were the short responses he'd given. Suddenly she could see him as he leapt out of the car and walked away, away from her, something which it seemed he'd done again. And Tom was still talking, but she had no idea what he was saying, and she must have started crying because teardrops were falling into her lap, but none of it really mattered, because she hadn't paid enough attention to Philip, she'd been too distracted by Eddie and Melissa and the whole sorry situation, and she hadn't been there, she hadn't helped. She'd failed. And then there were more voices, and someone was calling her name, and she thought she should probably reply, but she couldn't, because she wasn't in the room anymore, she was in the car park that morning, watching Philip walk away. Again, and again, and again. And she didn't want to see it but she couldn't stop it, she just kept seeing him leaving, and suddenly the images were joined by ones from her own childhood, of the day she left home, feeling her mother's disinterested eyes on her back, wondering how long it would take them to realise she wasn't coming home. And now Phil felt like that, and it was her fault, all her…

"Rachel!" This voice cut through the others, and then there were hands on her shoulders and someone was holding her, pulling her close, and then there were fingers beneath her chin, gently forcing her to look up,

"Eddie?" her voice was soft and shaking, and the face that now filled her vision nodded;

"It's okay Rach, I'm here now, we'll find him don't you worry, we'll find him."

It became clear, then, and later she would look back and thank her lucky stars that he was there to pull her back into reality, and allow her to cope with the situation. She would also realise that the fact that she hadn't immediately gone into headmistress mode at the news, was testament to how much she cared for Philip, and suggested that, even then, she was already feeling increasingly maternal towards him. Taking a deep, shuddering breath, she stood, steadied by Eddies arm around her waist, and began to plan,

"Okay, he can't have got far, we'll have to split up and search, if he's trying to run away he'll have to go back to mine, so Eddie, you go there, and if he'd not there, wait there in case he turns up. Tom, Have a drive around the roads around the school, see if you can see him, if he's on foot he can't have got far. Steph… Steph, do you mind helping out?" Rachel faltered slightly, well aware that her relationship with the blonde wasn't ideal, and knowing just how little Steph liked giving up her breaks.

Steph, however, looked guilty that Rachel had even had to ask, and attempted a reassuring smile, although it came out a little pained, "Of course, not, what do you want me to do?"

Smiling slighting in relief, Rachel continued, crossing to her desk and pulling a photograph of her, Melissa and Philip out of a frame there; "Go down to the bus station, ask around, see if anyone's seen him there. If he's got a bus somewhere, we need to follow him fast, or we'll lose him. I'm going to stay here, try calling his mobile and ask his friends where they think he might have gone. I'll give it an hour. If no-one's found him by then, I'm calling the police."

Everyone nodded, and left the office, Steph taking the photograph as she went, crossing straight across to the photocopier. Eddie looked at her, worry in his eyes, but she pushed him away, reaching into her pocket for her house keys and handing them to him, "Go, I'll be fine, I just want to find him." Eddie didn't look convinced, but he took the keys, and left, casting a worried glance in her direction as he exited the office. The search had begun.

Rachel stood, listening as the phone rang, on and on, silently begging Philip to pick up. Even if he just yelled at her, even if he wouldn't tell her where he was, even if he didn't come back, she just needed to know he was okay. She sighed as it went to voicemail yet again, deciding that leaving yet another message (the previous ones had ranged from hysterical, to stern, to begging) was pointless, and hanging up. Sighing, she sank back into her chair, mentally going over everything Philips friends had said, not that there was much of it. She'd got the same message from all of them; he'd been quiet and moody, but he was always pretty quiet, and _'we're not that close anyway'_.

She bit her lip against the threatening tears, once again berating herself for not having noticed quite how unhappy he was. Had Eddie been there, he would almost certainly have pointed out that Philip had only been staying with her for a day, and she couldn't possibly be expected to solve every problem in that time, but, to her mind, what had happened was entirely her fault. She snatched up the phone as it rang, not bothering to check the caller ID, desperately hoping to hear her nephew's voice on the other end of the line;

"Philip?"

"Sorry Rachel, it's Steph." Rachel sighed, gulping back tears, before replying.

"Right, hi, have you found anything?" The hope in her voice was unmistakeable, and Steph winced from the other end of the line, wishing she had better news.

"No Rachel, sorry, they've even gone through the CCTV for me, he hasn't been here."

The extra bit of bad news proved to much for Rachel, and her voice was choked when she next spoke.

"Okay. I understand. Thanks any…anyway Steph. I know you don't have any lessons this afternoon, you can go home if you want." There was a pause as the French teacher considered this offer, before replying;

"Is anyone else back at the school yet?"

"No, not yet." There was an edge of confusion to Rachel's voice as she responded.

"Right, then I'm coming back, I'm not leaving you there worrying by yourself." Rachel was taken aback, unused to this level of concern from anyone other than Eddie.

"You really don't need to…"

Steph cut over her, "Maybe not, but I want to, I can empathise you know, Maxine's given me enough scares!"

As Steph hung up, Rachel's emotions once more took hold, and she allowed her head to sink onto her arms, crying softly.

She'd obviously misjudged quite how close the bus station was, and had been too wrapped up her own worries to hear the footsteps, because it wasn't long before Rachel felt a hand on her shoulder, and looked up with find Steph sat next to her, holding out a coffee.

"I thought you might want this." Rachel nodded her thanks, not trusting herself to speak, and took the warm drink, allowing the liquid to slide reassuringly down her throat.

The unlikely pair sat in silence for a few minutes, Rachel drinking her coffee and Steph watching Rachel worriedly, while trying to pretend she was in fact looking past her out of the window. It was Rachel that spoke first,

"The students, who's looking after the…"

Steph cut her off, anticipating the question, "They've been sent to study periods in the hall, canteen and library, and Grantley, Jasmine and Davina are supervising. Rachel's eyes widened, "Who…"

"Eddie took care of it." Steph answered, smiling slightly. Rachel nodded, not overly surprised. Silence took over once again.

_He was walking, but he wasn't sure where he was going. It was stupid really, he didn't know why he'd done it, and he knew Rachel would be worried, but somehow he couldn't quite bring himself to care. He didn't know how he was supposed to feel anymore. His mum was gone, and that was partly his fault, for letting Rachel in on her secret, but then maybe it was Rachel and Eddie's fault because they'd given his mum the impression there was something going on between them. Or maybe his mum would always have left, and that just happened to be the trigger to it. And how was he supposed to react? She'd left Eddie, he realised that, but she'd left him as well. She was his mum, and of course he missed her, but he could already tell that life with Rachel would be a lot more secure. Except, what if she didn't want him. He wasn't sure that she did, she'd been acting really odd last night, and he knew she'd only been trying to help in the car this morning but he didn't want to talk about it, he just wanted it to be normal, he just wanted to __**be**__ normal._

_His mum was supposed to love him unconditionally, and she had left, so where did that leave him. What was the rule with aunts? Now his mum was gone, would Rachel care for him, would she __want__ to? Or was there a reason his mum had left? The questions had been spinning around his head all day, and he couldn't get the look of relief on Rachel's face as they'd arrived at school that morning out of his head. She had been glad to be rid of him. He hadn't planned to run away, but when his classmates were discussing the football and how awful their lives were because their parents wouldn't let them go to some party or other. It was then that he'd had to leave. It had just been too much, he'd had to get out. And so he'd scribbled the note, getting some sadistic satisfaction from the thought of the look on Rachel's face when she got it, and left. And now he was just walking. But where was he going to go? Could he really go back to Rachel's? Or would it be better for everyone if he just disappeared?_

Somehow, Rachel wasn't entirely sure how, the school day had ended. They'd made the decision to call the police over two hours ago now. Steph had made the call, she'd been unable to, and a couple of officers had been around to ask some questions, before disappearing again. Unfortunately, because Philip had left of his own accord, he wasn't 'high priority'. Eddie was still at her house, but Rachel wasn't yet ready to leave the school, afraid that if she did, Philip would then decide to return there. Tom was still driving around, taking turns with Matt, although everyone was privately beginning to think that Philip wasn't coming back any time soon. It was four o clock, and the school was deserted except for her and, to her surprise, Steph, who hadn't left her side since she'd returned from the bus station earlier.

It had been a little awkward at first; Rachel had been completely unable to control her emotions, and yet equally reluctant to accept comfort from Steph, but, as the afternoon had slowly moved into the evening they'd fallen into a sort of comfortable chatter. It had begun somewhat inanely, random thoughts only spoken aloud to help ease the tense silence, but as time wore on they'd found themselves sharing all sorts of personal details they'd never have thought they'd find themselves telling the other. Finally, when the topic had been avoided so much it was beginning to become silly, and in another period of brief silence, Rachel spoke the thoughts on her mind;

"What if we don't find him?" her voice was small and worried, and when she looked at Steph her need for reassurance was clear in her eyes. Steph replied without hesitation;

"We will, don't worry. Teenagers disappear for a few hours all the time, they always come back when they need food!"

Rachel tried to laugh, but somehow it changed into a sob, and then, somehow, neither of them was sure how, but somehow the two women who had never got on had there arms around each other, as Steph tried to comfort her fraught colleague, and, maybe, friend. As Rachel's tears slowed, she pulled away, both women glancing at each other and then away, a little embarrassed at the show of emotion. There was silence as they both looked at the floor.

"Um, Steph, er… thanks." Rachel said, somewhat awkwardly. Steph smiled slightly.

"You're welcome. Look, I know this isn't really the time, but… well… I just wanted to apologise for, well, for how I was at the end of last term. You didn't deserve it from anyone, and, well, I think you've done a great job with this place." The words were mumbled fast, but Rachel caught them, and they caused the first genuine smile for hours to appear on her face;

"Don't worry about it Steph. And, thanks for the compliment."

Just as the exchange was about to get awkward, Rachel's phone rang again, and she snatched it up, hoping whoever was ringing would have good news;

"Hello?"

"_I'm sorry."_

The voice was scared, and shaking, but Rachel recognised it immediately.

"Philip? Where are you? God, I've been so worried, what happened? Are you okay? Why didn't you call me?"

Hearing Rachel speak Philip's name, Steph looked up, then quickly crossed the office, searching for Rachel's and her coats, and digging her car keys out of her pocket, well aware that Eddie had Rachel's car and suspecting that they were going to be driving somewhere very soon.

"_I'm sorry, it was just too much, you know, with mum, and everything, I just couldn't take it."_

Rachel was alarmed by the amount of emotion in Philip's voice, instantly trying to calm him; "Sshhh, it's okay, don't worry. Listen, where are you, I'll come and pick you up."

There was a long pause. Then, just as Rachel was about to repeat the question, Philip spoke.

"_That's the thing. Um, Rach. I'm at the police station."_

_**Reviews cause to send me emails, which remind me to post the next bit :P x**_


	4. Chapter 4

_**See, I said I'd get the hang of this updating business :P. Since I made you all wait so long for the last one, and am likely to be out most of tomorrow, I figured you could have this now, dedicated to everyone who reviewed:**_

**The Aftermath – Chapter 4**

"_That's the thing. Um, Rach. I'm at the police station."_

"I beg your pardon?" the shock in Rachel's voice was unmistakeable, and Steph glanced at her worriedly. On the other end of the line, Philip gulped.

"_I'm sorry. I, um, well, I couldn't just leave her."_

"Leave who?" Although there was still a slightly hysterical edge to Rachel's voice, confusion now coloured her tone, as she mentally went through a list of people Philip knew who might be at the police station. The one name she was not expecting to hear, however, was the one Philip said next.

"_Er… mum."_

There was a pause, as Rachel digested this information, sinking slowly back into her office chair, and then Philip continued;

"_She, she called me, said she'd been arrested for the bigamy, she said it was all my fault. She said I had to come and explain, to help her. So I walked to the police station, but, when I got there, they said she wasn't there. They hadn't arrested her. She was lying, Rach. She lied to me…" his voice broke as he continued, "my __**mum**__ lied to me."_

Rachel bit her lip to try and avoid her emotions showing in her tone, even as tears ran down her face and she rose shakily, taking her coat from Steph and moving on unsteady legs towards her office door;

"Okay, okay Philip. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, but it was **not** your fault, okay? What your mum did, that was her decision, and she had no right to blame you for it. I'm coming to get you now, okay? I'll be there in ten minutes, I promise."

"_Thank you, Rach. And… I… I'm sorry."_

Rachel cut him off swiftly, opening the doors of the school and making her way into the car-park as she spoke;

"Don't be, you hear me? Don't ever be sorry. I'm on my way, okay? I'll see you soon."

Philip didn't reply, and the line went dead, Rachel slipping the phone into her pocket and looking at Steph for a prompt. The French teacher responded to the silent question quickly;

"We can take my car, the police station I presume?"

Rachel nodded wordlessly, climbing into the car, the tears coming thick and fast now, as she shakily dialled Eddie's number to let him know what had happened. The phone had only rung once when it was snatched up;

"_Rachel? You okay? What's going on?"_

The care in his voice was unmistakeable, and Rachel had to take a moment to compose herself before she replied; "Philip called, he's at the police station. Mel called him there; she told him she'd been arrested. She lied, Eddie, she lied to her own son. Could you call the others and call off the search, please. The police presumably know where he is, although I'll check when I get there."

_Eddie's response was immediate; "Of course Rachel, no problem, do you want anything else?"_

Rachel paused, unsure if she should ask. Eventually, her need for comfort won out, and she replied, her voice shaking; "Eddie, could you… would you mind, could you meet me there please? I, I don't think I can deal with this on my own."

_The response came almost before she'd finished speaking; "Of course, I'll see you in five minutes then."_

Somehow, he wasn't entirely sure how, Eddie managed to reach the police station before Rachel, and when Steph's car pulled up a moment later he barely waited for the engine to cut out before pulling Rachel's door open, one glance at her tear-stained face telling him all he needed to know.

As soon as she had undone her seatbelt, Rachel stood, allowing Eddie to pull her into his arms, holding onto him tightly as she finally let herself completely breakdown at the enormity of what her sister had done, and the fear that she had felt at the loss of Philip.

For his part, Eddie blinked, trying to clear the tears that had filled his eyes at seeing the love of his life so broken, and held Rachel gently, stroking her hair;

"Ssshhh, it's okay. I'm here, I've got you."

Behind them, Steph looked away awkwardly, before meeting Eddie's eyes and mouthing; 'look after her' and then driving away, content that Rachel was in safe hands. They stood like that for some time, as Rachel's sobs subsided and she simply stood, safe in Eddie's embrace, drawing strength from his support. As she did so, a realisation that had been building since she'd discovered Philip had gone missing came to the surface, and she pulled away slightly, steeling herself for the conversation that would follow;

"Eddie, I'm sorry, but we can't do this" he opened his mouth to object, but she shook her head, continuing, "I was so wrapped up in this, in us, that I wasn't concentrating on Philip today, and that nearly had disastrous consequences. No, Eddie, let me finish. He needs me right now, and he needs you too, but we both have to be completely focussed on him. This is going to sound odd, but I wondered if you'd come and stay for a while, help me out with him." Seeing him smile, she continued quickly, not wanting to get his hopes up, "No, Eddie, not like that. I'm not saying this can never happen, all I'm saying is that it isn't the right time. I love you, and I don't think that's ever going to change, but Philip has to be my priority right now. I want you to come and stay as a friend, for Philip, not for me. I want to be with you Eddie, I want it more than anything, but it just can't happen right now. Please, at least for the moment, let's just keep this as friendship."

Eddie nodded silently, trying to fight the tears he could feel building in his own eyes, before saying softly, "If that's what you want, Rachel. But I can wait, for as long as it takes. I love you, I'm not going to just let you go."

As he stood there, looking down at her with eyes full of care, Rachel was struck with an almost unstoppable desire to kiss him. And in that moment, she realised just what she had let herself in for. She would be living in close proximity with this man, at least for a few weeks, and unable to give in to the desires that had been building for almost two years.

When Rachel Mason set her mind to something, it happened. But now, looking up at the man that held her heart, she couldn't help but wonder; was this a challenge that even her self-control couldn't manage?

Dragging her eyes away from Eddie with some difficulty, Rachel turned and made her way towards the entrance to the police station, unaware that she was crying until the tears had blurred her vision sufficiently that she tripped, falling towards unyielding concrete…

And then Eddie had grabbed her arm, his grip almost painful as he prevented her from falling, pulling her upright and into his arms, knowing that he shouldn't but unable to resist the temptation to hold her. Stood side-on to Eddie, Rachel rested her head on his chest, trying to fight the desire that was rising within her. She would not give in. She could not give in. It didn't matter that the moment his arms had closed around her her breathing had calmed and her tears had subsided, or that right now his proximity felt like heaven, or that the warmth of his hands on her waist was making her knees go weak with desire. No, none of it mattered. Philip mattered, more than Eddie.

Still, as she made her way slowly, carefully, into the police station, she didn't remove his arm from around her shoulders. After-all, he was just stopping her from falling, wasn't he? It wasn't as though the gesture meant anything more.

As soon as she crossed through the doors she saw him, sitting hunched on a hard plastic chair, looking for all the world like a boy far younger than he actually was, and entirely lost. At her sharp intake of breath, he looked up, instantly rising from the chair and running across the room towards Rachel, as she moved away from Eddie and towards him, enveloping him in her arms as relief washed over her, muttering her thoughts aloud without even realising it;

"Safe, you're safe, it's okay, you're safe, you're here, and you're safe. Nothing's happened to you, and I'm here, it's okay, you're safe."

Philip joined her mutterings with his own, repeating tearful apologies as he fell apart in his aunt's arms, both glad to be re-united with the other.

From the other side of the room, Eddie stood, silent tears running down his face as he watched Rachel comfort the boy she'd thought she'd lost. He should have been jealous, or resentful; after all, it was Philip that was the reason Rachel was pushing him away. But he could feel nothing but relief, as he saw her cry with happiness, rather than fear. As long as she was happy, he could cope, even if that meant her pushing him away. Love truly was a funny thing.

Leaving Rachel and Philip to comfort each other, Eddie had made his way over to the desk, explaining the situation and ascertaining that it was okay for him and Rachel to take Philip home. Having done this, he crossed across to where they were stood, talking in low voices about Melissa, as Rachel reassured Philip that his mother had been talking nonsense when she suggested that what had happened to her was his fault, and Philip responded by reassuring Rachel that his running away had been nothing to do with her and, in fact, it had been only her that had made him come back. As he reached them, Eddie gently placed a hand on each of their shoulders, smirking very slightly at the way Rachel shivered at the contact;

"Time to go home?"

Rachel nodded; "I think so."

They walked out towards the car, Rachel's arm wrapped firmly around Philip's shoulders, while Eddie allowed his hand to remain on his arm. After all, he was just supporting her, wasn't he?

As they reached the car Eddie fished in his pocket for the keys and climbed into the driver's seat, allowing Rachel into the back with Philip, a thoughtfulness that caused her to smile at him, leaning forwards to kiss him in thanks before she caught herself and turned away quickly, helping a still-shaking Philip into the car.

As the car pulled away Rachel turned to Philip, starting a conversation she suspected would be painful for the both of them;

"Why didn't you tell me when your mum called, I would have come with you, you didn't need to just leave that note."

Philip reddened, "Oh. Well, you see, Rach, I actually didn't get the call until _after_ I'd left. So, I couldn't really…" he trailed off at his aunt removed her arm from around his shoulders and turned to look out the window. However, she wasn't quite fast enough, and he still caught the look of pain on her face.

"I see."

In the front of the car Eddie fought to keep his concentration on the road, and not on the woman falling apart behind him. He had to trust Philip to reassure her, and just concentrate on not killing them all with his distraction.

True to form, Philip did just that, grabbing his aunt's hand as he spoke; "No, you don't. It wasn't you that made me leave, it was mum. I just thought…" he paused, taking a calming breath before continuing, although his voice was still shaking slightly as he spoke, "I thought that if my own mother could leave, then there was no way you'd want my company. I'm sorry I should have let you make that decision."

Rachel had turned to face him as he spoke, and there was a burning anger in her eyes as she responded, "You should." she looked him straight in the face as she continued, "don't you _ever_ assume me to be like your mother Philip, do you hear me? **Never.**"

Philip nodded silently, as Rachel brushed the tears from her eyes and pulled him close once again, "don't you worry about her, you've got me now."

Eddie pulled up in front of Rachel's house, glancing into the back of the car as he did so and smiling at the sight that met his eyes. Rachel and Philip were both dozing, exhausted from the stresses of the day, their heads resting together and their hands entwined. To an outsider, they would look just like mother and son. Opening the door, Eddie smiled as Rachel's eyes opened and she blinked blearily at him, sitting up carefully so as not to disturb Philip and smiling back at him;

"Are we there?"

Eddie laughed softly, "Yes Rach, we're here."

Rachel looked down at Philip, stroking his hair gently; "Phil? We're home, you need to get up now."

Slowly, the boy woke, and Rachel, Eddie and Philip left the car and walked slowly into the house, Rachel walking straight upstairs with Philip, who had announced he wanted to go to bed and get some much-needed rest, while Eddie set about finding something for them to eat.

Ten minutes later, Rachel returned downstairs and entered the kitchen to be greeted with the sight of Eddie pouring tomato sauce over two plates of pasta, and adding grated cheese and pepper to the top. Sensing her presence, he turned, smiling apologetically; "Sorry, I'm not the world's greatest cook, I thought it best to stick to something simple."

Rachel bit her lip, overcome with affection for the man who had thought to cook for her with no request on her part. Seeing her emotional state, Eddie crossed the room, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and guiding her across to the kitchen table, reaching for her food with his free hand and placing it in front of her; "There you are, I know you didn't have any lunch, you'll feel much better after some food."

As he went to move away, Eddie felt Rachel's hand gripping his own, her conflict clear in her eyes. Only this afternoon she'd vowed to keep their relationship one of friendship only while she dealt with Philip, but right now all she wanted was to be held. Smiling softly, Eddie sunk to his knees next to her and pulled her against him, allowing her head to rest on his shoulder; "It's okay, Rach, I'm here for as much as you need, and nothing more, okay? I understand you want to focus on Phil right now, but that doesn't mean you have to deal with all this alone."

Rachel nodded, and rested there a few moments more, before pulling away and eating her dinner hungrily, and action that was copied by Eddie, and the two were soon lost in inane chatter between mouthfuls of pasta.

As they finished eating, they somehow found themselves in the lounge, though neither adult was sure who had made the decision they should be in there. The TV was on, some program to do with houses, but Eddie's attention was very much fixed on Rachel, and how beautiful she looked as she relaxed against the back of the sofa, and Rachel's attention was most definitely **not** on Eddie. No, she wasn't **at all** aware of his eyes on her, or the way his knee was just touching hers, and there was most definitely no part of her that was longing to turn and give in and just… hang on, when did he get _**that**_ close?

Eddie had tried, really he had, and if Rachel had truly not been interested then he might have managed it. But he couldn't help but notice the way she shivered every time he touched her, or the way her eyes fluttered briefly shut whenever he spoke in her ear, and he most definitely couldn't help but notice the way she kept glancing at him and then away again, her breathing slightly fast, and what did she expect him to do? Goodness knows he wanted this as much as she did, if not more. And so, despite the voices in his head telling him that he should try to make this as easy for her as possible, he now found himself leaning towards her, their mouths so close that it would only take a fractional movement from her for their lips to touch. But it would have to be her, to make that movement, **she** had to make that decision.

"Eddie?" she murmured, shakily, "what are you doing?"

He looked into her eyes, "fighting a losing battle against the urge to kiss you"

She shuddered as his breath played across her lips; "but Philip…" it sounded half-hearted, even to her own ears.

"…is asleep." he finished for her, trying very hard not to give in and close the distance between them. It wasn't as though she'd resist. But no, he had to let this come from her.

Rachel looked into Eddie's eyes, desperately trying to recall the reasons why this was such a bad idea; 'Philip, must think of Philip, oh God I want this, no, Philip, must think of… oh stuff it'.

Allowing her heart to rule her head for once, she leant forwards, allowing her lips to brush Eddie's; the slightest contact but awakening a passion in them both, she leant towards him again, desperate now, when the sound of sobbing reached her ears, startling her and breaking through the hazy bubble of desire that she had been enveloped in since she entered the lounge.

"Philip," she gasped, trying to catch her breath and resist the urge to ignore the cries and return her attention to Eddie, exactly the reason she hadn't wanted this to happen in the first place. Thankfully however, Eddie seemed to have come to _his_ senses, too, and moved away, allowing her to get up and go tend to her nephew.

When Rachel returned to the living room 20 minutes later, her and Eddie's moments of passion had been all but wiped from her mind by the words her nephew had stuttered out as she'd held him crying in her arms; _"I dreamt, I dreamt that everyone was gone, and I couldn't find you, and I kept searching, but I couldn't find anyone, and mum was there, and she, she, she was laughing…"_

Even now, with Philip once again peacefully asleep, she felt tears fall from her eyes at the thoughts of what her sister had put him through. How could she have been so cruel? She sank slowly down onto the sofa, and immediately felt Eddie's hand on her arm;

"Rach? Are you okay?"

She began to nod, but then gave in, shaking her head and allowing him to take her into his arms once more, curling into him as he stroked her back comfortingly, and letting him convince her that maybe, just maybe, it would all be okay.

Even as she calmed and the tears stopped falling, Rachel could feel herself becoming drowsy, and the small sensible part of her (a part that had been being ignored far too many times recently) told her that she should move, and go to bed. But she knew, vaguely, that if she did her bed would be cold and unforgiving, and she would lie awake with unanswered questions about her sister spinning through her head. Here, with her head tucked comfortably beneath Eddie's chin, his hand still rubbing her back gently, she felt safe, and comforted. And the argument in her head faded out existence as her eyes fluttered shut and her breathing evened out, allowing her to get the rest her body craved.

Eddie smiled slightly as he watched Rachel doze off, knowing how tired she had been after the stress of the day, and glad she trusted him enough to fall asleep on him. For half an hour, he simply sat, watching her sleep with a contented smile on his face. Still, as time ticked on he realised he couldn't let her sleep on the sofa, and much as it pained him to do so, he was going to have to move from his comfortable position with her in his arms and attempt to get her to bed. The thought made him smile slightly, before he got his imagination back under control and concentrated on lifting her gently into his arms, allowing her head to loll against his chest as he rose, carrying her up the stairs.

She stirred a little, but didn't wake, obviously too exhausted to, and as he reached the top of the stairs, Eddie looked around, spotting a door standing ajar and walking across to it, kicking it open and sighing in relief when he saw that it was her room. Crossing across to the bed, he moved the covers back with his toe and laid her gently down, carefully removing her jewellery and jacket and laying them on her bedside table, before pulling the covers over her and stroking the hair back from her face, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead;

"Goodnight, my love."

He turned to leave, when he felt a hand grab his and Rachel voice, hoarse from sleep, whispered; "stay with me?"

He turned, ready to decline, knowing how hard it would be to keep his self-control in a bed with her. However, the vulnerability that took over her features, and the hope in her eyes, drew a different answer from him;

"Of course."

Crossing over to the other side of the bed, he removed his jacket and socks and climbed in, feeling her instantly move into his arms, settling her head comfortably next to his and falling asleep again, a contended smile gracing her features. Eddie looked down at her, for a moment unable to breathe for the rush of emotion for the woman in his arms. He had no doubt that she would return to the 'friends' policy tomorrow, when she was feeling stronger, or might even have already have returned to it. After all, they were both fully dressed. But whatever would come, he knew in that moment, that lying here, with this woman in his arms, was the closest he would get to heaven on earth.

_**Reviews make me (almost) as happy as Eddie right now :P x**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Well I've just in from my last every med school interview (incase you can't guess, this is a really really good thing :P) with the result that I now feel a bit like dying, but I figured I'd give you this instead. I think this is one of my favourite chapters, rereading it made me smile. Here you go:**_

**Chapter 5**

As sunlight filtered through the gap in the curtains, Rachel stirred, returning slowly to consciousness as she tried to work out whether or not it was a school day. Having decided it was in fact Saturday, and she therefore didn't have to panic about leaping out of bed and into the shower, Rachel then became aware that her head was resting on something warm, and definitely not a pillow, and someone's arms were wrapped around her waist. Her breath quickening slightly as the words 'what have I done?' span through her head, she was relieved to realise she was fully dressed, and that relief turned to happiness as she opened her eyes and saw Eddie sleeping peacefully next to her. The events of the previous evening returned to her, and she smiled somewhat wryly as she realised Eddie must have carried her upstairs. She probably should have been embarrassed, but right now, with him holding her so tenderly, she could feel nothing but contentment.

Still, as she woke up properly, Rachel realised she couldn't make a habit of this, last night had been testament to just how carried away she could get when Eddie was close to her, and she really **did** need to focus on Philip right now. Which brought her to another problem; finding out that his aunt and his mother's ex-fiancé had spent the night together, however innocent, was likely to make this even more difficult for him than it already was. Rachel sighed, she was going to have to wake Eddie and try to get him into the spare room before Philip woke up. Resisting the urge to just doze off again, she sat up slowly, pressing a kiss to his forehead and whispering softly;

"Eddie? You need to wake up, you can't stay here I'm afraid."

Slowly, he stirred, his eyes fluttering open and smiling as he set eyes on Rachel;

"Morning beautiful."

Rachel blushed, hitting him softly on the arm, "Don't do that!"

Eddie attempted an innocent look, "Do what?"

"You know what, my self control is tenuous at best at the moment, don't go making it worse, you know what'll happen if I lose my grip!"

Eddie smiled cheekily, "really? And what would that be? Care to demonstrate?"

Rachel bit her lip, fighting the urge to do just that, and taking a deep breath before she replied; "You I'd love to, you also know I can't, not at the moment, now get up, I **really** don't want Philip to find you in here."

Sighing, Eddie sat up, swinging his legs out of the bed and standing up, before turning and smiling at Rachel; "Well you needn't think you're staying there, if you don't want me in here, you'll need to show me where you _do_ want me."

The smirk that played over his lips told Rachel that he was perfectly aware of what he had just said, but that knowledge didn't stop the images from swimming into her head, making her breathing quicken slightly. Composing herself, she glared at him, leaping out of bed and grabbing her dressing-gown from the hook behind the door, wrapping it around her and striding out of the room, trusting him to follow.

Following Rachel into a small room he hadn't even known existed, he smiled as she attempted to make the bed look slept in, before turning to face him; "Right, well you're here now, bathroom's down the landing, and I'm going to get dressed."

She walked towards the door, but he stepped into her path, blocking her from leaving.

"Excuse me, Eddie." her eyebrows were raised and there was a stern edge to her voice, but Eddie ignored it, simply taking a step towards her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"Eddie," her voice was slightly higher than usual, and they both noticed it, but Rachel ploughed on anyway, "stop it."

"No." Her eyebrows shot into her hairline, but Eddie merely moved a hand to her cheek, tucking her hair gently behind her ear, "Come on Rach, this isn't doing Philip any harm."

"It… it… might." his proximity was making it extremely difficult for her to concentrate, and Rachel put her hands on his shoulders with the intention of pushing him away, but somehow ended up pulling him closer;

"Eddie, please" she was begging him now, but whether it was to move away or simply put her out of her misery not even Rachel was sure.

Eddie, however, began to feel a little guilty for making even harder for her, but couldn't deny how much he wanted this, "Say you don't want me to. Tell me you want me to leave you alone for a few days, and I will."

She looked into his eyes, gasping slightly at the sincerity she saw there, and the easy way out he'd given her. He wasn't asking to her to stop reacting to his presence, something they both knew she couldn't do, or even deny that she wanted to be with him, all she had to do was re-iterate something she'd said several times already. That they couldn't do this at the moment. And then he would stop torturing her like this. So why was it suddenly so hard to say the words?

"Eddie, I. We, we can't" There, she'd said it. So why wasn't he moving?

He shook his head, "What do _**you**_ want Rachel?"

She looked up at him, "this." she whispered, "I want this… no, I don't, I want, I want, I want you to… stop, I want you, I want you to," she gave up, "I want you to shut up and kiss me."

Eddie smiled, and complied, their lips meeting with a passion that betrayed just how hard it had been to resist this, even just for a few hours, and Rachel pulled him ever closer, gasping at the sensations running through her body, feeling everyone ounce of self-control leave her as he backed her against the wall, running his hand through her hair and causing her to moan in pleasure…

**CRASH!**

Eddie pulled away, gasping, "What the _hell_ was that?"

Philip's voice came floating up the stairs; "Ooops…"

Rachel froze, looking towards the door, and then towards Eddie, and then towards the door again. She really, really should run downstairs and check that everything was okay, but she really, _really_ wanted to stay here in Eddie's arms. Seeing her conflict, Eddie smiled, kissing her softly before pulling away, glancing into the mirror and wiping the lipstick off his mouth, turning back to her with a wry smile;

"Go, I'm not going anywhere."

In his mind, he saw a variety of different reaction to this statement; she would either leave without replying, agree and then leave, or refuse to leave and pick up where they'd left off. What he didn't expect to happen, however, was for her palm to connect with his cheek quite so painfully, or the burning anger in her eyes;

"That was cruel, Eddie, you knew I didn't want that to happen. Have you not noticed that every time we get carried away, something happens to Philip? If you try that once more, you'll be out of this house before you realise what's happening, d'you hear me?"

He nodded dumbly, rubbing his cheek, and Rachel turned on her heel and stormed out of the room to go and see what Philip had done, leaving Eddie stood in the room alone, trying to digest what had just happened while one thought refused to leave his mind; God she was beautiful when she was angry!

Rachel hurried out of the room, the mixture of adrenaline, anger and desire running through her bloodstream making her unsteady, something which was not helped by her fast pace as she all but fell down the stairs, having to grab on to the hand-rail to prevent a nasty accident.

Having made it safely down the stairs, she entered the kitchen, to find Philip stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by bits of toaster and burnt toast, the floor inexplicably covered in water, which seemed to have managed to drench Philip's feet as well. Her nephew looked up as she entered, and for a moment they just looked at each other, both breathing heavily from quite different exertions, before Philip spoke;

"I, um, I think I broke the toaster."

Rachel looked from him, to the toaster, which was so destroyed that bits of it were spread far across the kitchen, and nodded, beginning to laugh, "Yes, Phil, I think you might have done." Trying to keep her amusement under control, Rachel gestured to the mess on the floor, "what," she paused, gasping for breath as she fought the urge to laugh, "what happened?"

Philip flushed, looking somewhat scared of his aunt's strange mood, "Well, y'see I was trying to make some toast…" he trailed off as Rachel laughed loudly, hurriedly putting her hand over her mouth and then trying to speak without collapsing;

"Well, yes, I can see that." she looked at the sodden and charred mess on the floor and sunk into the nearest chair, as she tried not to put Philip any more ill-at-ease than he already was.

Looking unsure, Philip nonetheless continued; "well, I put it on, but then I went upstairs to fetch my phone, and when I came back down, well, it was _smoking_!"

Rachel nodded, no longer trusting herself to speak, and Philip took this as he cue to continue, "I didn't want to wake you, so I threw some water over it before it could set the fire-alarm off, but, well, then I slipped in the water, so I grabbed on to the toaster, and well… it kind of fell off.." he gestured at the mess at his feet, and Rachel's self-control deserted her completely as she collapsed into fits of laughter, tears running down her face.

Seeing that she wasn't angry with him, Philip smiled, still not entirely sure what to do, looking over at his aunt with her head in her hands, shoulders shaking as she tried to control her mirth.

Which is exactly the scene Eddie found when he came skidding into the kitchen moments later, and managed to completely misunderstand.

Eddie had been stood upstairs, deciding to give Rachel the chance to calm down before he went anywhere near her again, when he had heard it. She was saying something to Philip, he couldn't hear what, but her voice was shaking. He'd been torn between needing to make sure she was okay, and trying to protect his own personal safety. However, when he'd heard the unmistakeable sound of sobbing his decision had been made and he'd run down the stairs, wanting, no, strike that, _needing_ to make sure she was okay.

Which was why when he entered the kitchen and saw her hunched over, her shoulders shaking, he saw only one possible explanation for it. And it was this belief that led him to run across the room, kneel on the ground next her, and pull her into his arms, asking a question that he was almost afraid to have answered;

"Rachel, darling, what's the matter?"

Several things then happened at once.

Rachel stopped laughing at once, her amusement abruptly replaced by battling feelings of delight and fear at the endearment he had just used. Her instinctive reaction would have been to dissolve into a pile of mush at the words, but Philip's presence in the room somewhat complicated matters. After all, the man currently holding her tenderly in his arms and referring to her as 'darling' had been engaged to his mother only two days earlier. Almost afraid of what she would see, she raised her eyes towards her nephew.

For his part, Eddie noticed the way Rachel instinctively stiffened, and wondered what an earth he had done, instinctively following her gaze across the room, gasping slightly as he saw Philip sitting there. Ah. If he thought she'd been angry with him earlier, he suspected it would be nothing now he'd given away his feelings for her in front of the one person they were trying to protect.

Philip simply sat, staring uncomprehendingly at his aunt and ex-almost-step-dad, and wondering why they were both looking at him like that. Had he done something wrong?

Eddie pulled abruptly away from Rachel, causing her to almost fall off her chair in surprise, although she covered it quickly, instead fixing him with a surprised look;

"Darling? Wrong sister, Eddie." she laughed nervously, although winced slightly at having managed to drag Melissa into this already-awkward situation.

Eddie attempted a laugh back, although it sounded more like he was choking, before he replied with a cheery smile, "Ah, yes, erm, sorry Rach…el, Miss Mason, I mean…"

Rachel gave him a withering look, before staying stiffly, "we're not at school, Eddie."

He nodded, "Of course not."

Philip, who had been sat in silence for most of this exchange, then spoke up, confusion clouding his tone, "When did Eddie get here?"

Rachel and Eddie looked at each other, as they both realised they'd not yet told Philip that he was going to be staying. Rachel shot Eddie a look which clearly said 'just keep your mouth shut' and then turned her eyes back to her nephew; "Oh, um Eddie'll be staying for a bit, to help out, you know, you wouldn't want to be stuck with just me for company!" Rachel tried to laugh, but the plash of pain that crossed her face was unmistakeable, and caused Eddie to place a hand surreptitiously on her knee, before cutting across her;

"More to the point, Phil, I don't really feel like going home at the moment. You know, with… everything…"

Philip nodded, now understanding Rachel's confusing excuses; she obviously didn't want Eddie to have to admit that. Feeling slightly awkward at the somewhat emotional moment, he turned away to busy himself with picking up pieces of toaster. There was a flurry of movement, and then Rachel and Eddie both joined him, kneeling on the floor in an attempt to return the kitchen to rights.

They worked in silence for a few minutes, until Rachel realised that Philip was simply looking at the mess with a confused expression, evidently unsure of what to do. Laughing slightly, she turned to him;

"We can clear this up if you want Phil, go and get dressed, I'll make breakfast when we're done, alright?"

Philip grinned, "Thanks Rach, you're the best!" before disappearing upstairs again, leaving a somewhat awkward atmosphere behind.

Rachel continued tidying, unaware that Eddie was simply watching her, marvelling at how beautiful she was. Turning to put a handful of toaster-pieces in the bin, however, she found her eyes meeting his, and froze, feeling the deep connection she'd always had with him make itself known. Suddenly, she noticed the slight redness on his cheek, and reached up, stroking it gently;

"Eddie, I'm sorry, I… I _**hit**_ you!" she sounded disgusted with herself, but Eddie just smiled.

"Hey, don't worry about it, I think I at least partially deserved it, you've got enough to contend with at the moment without me making it worse."

Rachel shook her head; she wasn't going to let him tell her it wasn't her fault, not this time.

"No, Eddie, I hit you. I hurt you Eddie, intentionally. I…"

"Got upset, Rachel. You're trying so hard to be there for Philip, and I'm just making it harder for you, _I'm _the one who should be apologising Rach, not you."

He tried to pull her towards him, but she pulled away, standing and crossing over to look out of the window instead, "Eddie, I think you should go."

"What?"

She resisted the urge to turn to face him, "You heard me."

Eddie tried hard not to sigh, "I _heard_ you, Rachel, but I didn't understand what you meant."

She did turn then, tears already falling down her face as she replied; "I want you to leave, Eddie."

He did sigh, then, stepping towards her and opening his arms, "Come here Rachel."

She shook her head, "No, Eddie, please, just go."

He closed his eyes to avoid her seeing the pain that flashed through him, before opening them and meeting her gaze, calmly asking, "Why, Rachel?"

She bit her lip, she hadn't anticipated this question. She needed to lie, to say something that would get him out of there, but when he looked at her like that, she found she could speak nothing but the truth, "Because I hurt you, Eddie, I'm just like them."

"Who?" his voice was still calm, but his concern was clear on his face, and this broke Rachel even more. She gripped onto the counter-top to stop herself from falling, shaking uncontrollably as she responded;

"No-one, Eddie, forget I said anything, I just… I can't have you here, okay?"

"Well I'm afraid you're in for a shock then Rach, because I'm not going anywhere, okay?" She simply looked at him, and he crossed the room, taking her hands in his and looking straight into her eyes, "you don't have to tell me, Rach, we can drop this right now, but I'm staying here, for as long as you need me."

Her head was telling her to push him away, to tell him that she _didn't_ need him, to tell him that this was her mess, and she would deal with it. But instead, for some inexplicable reason, she found herself stepping forwards, and whispering two words; "Hold me."

She wasn't sure why, and she wasn't sure when it had happened, but in that moment a startling truth became clear to Rachel; this man, this wonderful supportive man who was now holding her secure in his arms, had somehow got behind her defences without her even realising it. And, even more surprising, she found that she didn't mind. No, actually, for once in her life, Rachel Mason was _glad_ to be able to let someone care for her.

"You know something?" Eddie asked softly.

"What?" murmured Rachel, her head resting against his chest, a position that had become very familiar to her within the last 24 hours.

"I love you, Rachel Mason."

She smiled, pulling away and looking up at him, leaning forwards to give him a peck on the lips, surprised when he turned away, "Uh uh, Rachel, we don't want Philip to fall down the stairs or something, do we?"

She laughed, and turned away, busying herself with cutting some bread and placing it in the grill, something which caused Eddie to give her a very confused look; "Er, Rachel, are you aware you just put that bread in the oven?"

She laughed, rolling her eyes at him as she removed jam and butter from the fridge; "No Eddie, I put the bread in the grill, I'm toasting it."

He still looked confused, "But don't you need a toaster to do that?"

Rachel sighed, "No Eddie, it's easier in a toaster, but it's perfectly possible to use a grill, and I suspect toasting in the grill will be easier than trying to use the toaster right now." she gestured towards the pile of metal and plastic in the bin, making Eddie smile.

"Yeah, I think you might be right."

Rachel smirked; "I'm always right."

Eddie raised his eyebrows, "Oh, really now?"

"Of course, why else do you think the school's still standing?" she ginned, enjoying the easy banter that had always come so naturally to her and Eddie.

"Oh, maybe because of the wonderful deputy?" Eddie replied, attempting to puff out his chest and ending up just looking pained.

Rachel laughed, "Oh yes, the wonderful deputy who lets the much-more-wonderful head do all his paperwork for him!"

Eddie looked shocked, "I do not!"

"Oh yes you do!"

"Don't!"

"Do!"

"Don't!"

"Do!"

"Don't!"

"Do! Oh crap the toast!" Rachel ran quickly over to the grill, turning over the bread before it burnt and then turning back to Eddie, laughing.

"Come on then, when was the last time you did some paperwork?"

He looked thoughtful, "Um… recently?"

She laughed, shaking her head as she put some knives on the table, calling up the stairs;

"Phil, breakfast!"

Footsteps were heard, and then Philip appeared in the doorway as Rachel was removing the toast from the grill. He looked at her, confusion written all over his face; "Er, why is that toast in the oven?"

Rachel sighed, "I give up!"

Eddie laughed; "See, it's not just me!" Rachel rolled her eyes.

Philip just looked confused, "Have I missed something?"

_**Reviews may resurrect me a tiny bit :P x**_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: Hello everyone! Apologies for the lateness of this chapter, lack of reviews does unfortunately mean a lack of emails that remind/motivate me to post the next chapter, if you could just drop me a few words it would really help **____**. This is for Amy, who probably won't read it for months but mentioned fanfic on the bus and reminded me. Here you go everyone:**_

**Chapter 6**

Breakfast had been eaten, and Rachel was clearing up, having forbade either of the men from touching anything in the kitchen _ever_ again. For the first time in weeks, the seemingly perpetual clouds had parted, and the sun was shining, causing Rachel to look longingly out of the window as she slotted the plates into the dishwasher. She could hear Philip moving around upstairs; ostensibly working, but since she knew for a fact that all of his schoolbooks were currently still at school after the events of the previous day, she suspected he was more likely to be playing computer games. At least, she hoped he was, otherwise goodness knows where the noises of things blowing up were coming from.

She was just contemplating where Eddie was – he'd wandered off after breakfast – when she heard the fridge door open behind her and jumped, turning around to see him stood there, having just returned the butter to its rightful place.

"Eddie! You scared me!" He laughed, closing the fridge and crossing over to where she was stood and patting her on the head; "Aww, was poor ickle Rachel scared?"

Rachel simply rolled her eyes, turning away to continue clearing the table, hearing his laughter behind her.

"Hey! Stop laughing at me, it isn't nice!" She giggled slightly as she said it, well aware that he was never going to listen to her.

"Yeah well you won't have to put up with it much longer, I'm off."

The effect was instant. Rachel's laughter stopped abruptly and she turned to face him, a look of horror on her face, "Eddie… what?"

Feeling instantly guilty, Eddie stepped towards her, grabbing one of her hands, "Hey, don't look so worried Rach! I was only joking, I'm just going to pop home for some clothes and essentials, you don't get rid of me that easily!"

She smiled, although it still looked unsure, laughing nervously, "Oh, well, that's okay then…"

Eddie hugged her quickly, before pulling away, glancing instinctively at the door to check that Philip hadn't crept up on them. Her composure now returned, she grinned, making flapping movements with her hands; "Go on then you, the sooner you go, the sooner you can come back," he smiled, and turned to leave, making his way towards the front door when he was halted by her voice, "Oh, and Eddie," he turned to look at her, "wear something Phil and I won't mind being seen with you in!" She ducked as an envelope came flying towards her head, and her laughter rang through the house as the front door slammed.

It was going to be a _**good**_ day.

Having finished clearing the kitchen, Rachel made her way upstairs, knocking on Philip's bedroom door as she reached it, "Phil, can I come in?"

"One moment." Unused to being told to wait, Rachel entered anyway, and laughed at the sight of her nephew hurriedly exiting his computer game. Realising he'd been caught, he blushed, glancing at the floor, "Yeah, um, just… taking a break…"

Rachel laughed, "Phil it's fine, you can do what you want with your time… within reason. Just because I happen to be your headmistress doesn't mean I expect you to spend your entire life working you know." Seeing she currently had him onside, Rachel decided to broach the topic she'd come to talk to him about, "Anyway, I wondered whether you fancied coming on a picnic?"

Philip looked at her like she'd just grown two heads; "A… picnic…?"

Rachel smiled, "Yes Phil, a picnic, you know, food sat around on a blanket in the countryside, birds singing…"

Philip grimaced, "Spare me, Rach, please! And yes I'll come, if we can bring a football along… I assume Eddie's coming?"

Rachel couldn't help the smile that spread across her face, "Yes, Eddie's coming."

Once Rachel had persuaded Philip into coming, got dressed, persuaded Eddie into coming, packed the lunch, suggested to Philip that wearing his new designer trainers on a picnic possibly wasn't the best idea, and loaded both men and the lunch into the car, they were on their way.

The journey didn't take long, and five minutes later they were pulling into a small car park by the side of a hill. Rachel immediately jumped out and went around to get the picnic out of the boot, while Eddie and Philip remained in the car, regarding the small muddy path suspiciously. Rolling her eyes, Rachel called through to them; "Stop being such girls you two, it's only a bit of mud! And besides, you don't get food until you get out!"

For some completely unknown reason, both Eddie and Philip suddenly seemed much more enthusiastic at the prospect of a walk, leaping out of the car and racing each other up the hill, laughing.

And leaving behind a rather dismayed-looking Rachel, who glanced between the heavy picnic basket, large picnic rug and car with all the doors left open with a defeated expression. Sighing, she closed and locked the car, before heaving the basket into her arms, laying the blanket on top of it and starting up the hill. Suddenly this didn't seem like such a good idea…

Rachel had got halfway up the hill, and was really starting to struggle, when Eddie spotted her from where he'd been stood chatting with Phil. Running quickly back to her side, he took the basket off her, looking at her in concern, "Sorry Rach, didn't think, you alright?"

She smiled, "I'm fine Eddie, stop fussing, I'm just a little out of breath, it's just carrying that bloody thing up the hill!"

Eddie gave a cheeky grin, "I can think of a few other things that would make you out of breath, too."

Rachel rolled her eyes; "Inappropriate, Eddie. Now, since you've got that, I think I'll go see Philip!" And she strode off up the hill, leaving a somewhat abashed looking Eddie holding the picnic basket.

Once everyone had got successfully up the hill, and the picnic had been set up, they sat around, munching happily on the sandwiches Rachel had made that morning and chatting about nothing in particular. It made Rachel smile, how relaxed they all were, when she thought of the train-wreck their little group had been yesterday.

Funnily enough, sitting there on the comfortable blanket with Philip talking enthusiastically about some maths problem Eddie had set in class the other week (evidently glad not to have to keep up the pretence of not caring he did in school) while Eddie lay backwards and positioned his arm so it looked like he was innocently reclining and it just _happened_ to have fallen in such a way that Rachel was leaning against him, the word that sprung to mind, was 'family'. Which was ridiculous, really, when you considered the fact that the group was made up of an ex-prostitute who was sort-of having a secret relationship with her sister's ex-fiancé, who had only split up with her sister a day earlier, the ex-fiancé, and the sister's son, whose mother had disappeared, and who had tried to run away only the day before. Actually, she realised, maybe the word 'family' was appropriate, in the sense that they were a complete bunch of misfits who had been thrown together by circumstances completely out of their control.

Although, she mused, as the sun beat down on her face, even if that was true, they were a happy family.

As they finished eating and Rachel packed the things away, Philip leapt up looking excited; "Come on then you two, football, you two against me!"

Rachel laughed, shaking her head, "No way! You two play, I'll umpire."

Eddie chuckled, "You'll _umpire_ this football match, will you Rach?"

She nodded slowly, looking confused, "Yes?" it came out as a question.

Philip sighed loudly, "Honestly, you're even worse than mum, I think the word you're looking for is referee Rach, and the answer's no, you're playing!"

Rachel opened her mouth to protest, but found it covered by Eddie's hands, as he and Philip pulled her to her feet and dragged her across to a piece of flat grass, before letting go of her and marking out goals, leaving her to splutter in the middle of the 'pitch'.

"But, but, you can't… I'm your headmistress!"

Philip grinned at her, "No you're not, you're my aunt!"

Rachel felt her mouth break into a wide smile, and ran over to him, hugging him on impulse, pulling away to see him stood, blushing, "Um, Rach, what was that for?"

Rachel shook her head, smiling, "For being you."

There was a moment of silence, as everyone processed that statement, before Eddie noticed quite how awkward Philip looked, and decided to rescue him, "Right then, football, I take it you know the rules Rach?"

She looked at him blankly for a moment, before replying, "Um, get the ball in the goal?"

Eddie sighed, "Okay, in simple terms; get the ball in _that_ goal, stop it going in our goal, and try not to beat Phil up in the process."

Rachel laughed, "Okay, I'll try, not promising anything though!"

The game commenced. Philip started with the ball, and kicked it straight through Eddie's legs towards his and Rachel's goal, but Rachel managed to kick it straight back past him and into his goal. Eddie celebrated by picking her up and spinning her around, which made Philip laugh and her glare at him, muttering something about self-control. From there, it could only really get worse. Philip scored one straight goal, which was countered by one from Eddie, which was in turn countered by two own-goals in quick succession from Rachel. She stopped celebrating when Eddie pointed this fact out to her, but looked so crest-fallen he had to run across and give her a hug. Which, in turn, caused more muttering about self-control and Rachel to completely lose track of what she was supposed to be doing at all.

Ten minutes later, when Philip was winning 23-5, and Rachel was being pulled out of a bush by Eddie _again_, the men decided it might be kinder to let her sit the rest of the match out, something that an exhausted and thoroughly confused Rachel was more than happy to agree to.

As the game restarted, Rachel lay back on the picnic blanket, resting against a nearby tree as she watched her two favourite men kick a ball around like it was the most important thing in the world. Embarrassingly enough, Eddie seemed to be doing a lot better now that she wasn't there.

Philip had allowed them to start from nil-nil again, to give Eddie a chance, and it appeared that they were quite evenly matched now; Philip had the advantage of speed and agility, but it appeared Eddie knew what he was doing, and seemed to be blocking most of Phil's complicated attacks with no real difficulty.

Rachel sighed contentedly and relaxed, smiling as Eddie managed to evade Phil and score a goal, causing her nephew to look at the ball with a newfound competitiveness that she was more used to seeing when two boys fought over the same girl… usually physically. It was… nice… she decided, the word here seeming to suit the situation rather than just sounding inadequate. The situation just seemed, right, somehow, lying here in the sun while Eddie and Phil laughed together as they each attempted to win the little football match.

She lay back against the tree, the wood warm against her skin, and allowed her eyes to flutter closed as she day-dreamed of many more days spent like this, carefree and relaxed with the two people most important to her.

Philip laughed, throwing his arms into the air triumphantly as he successfully dodged around Eddie to score another goal, bringing the score to three all.

"Hey, that was cheating!" Eddie was grinning as he said it, although the indignation on his face was clear.

Philip looked up innocently, adopting a surprised tone as he spoke, "What? How?"

"You stood on my foot!" Eddie pointed down at his injured foot, glaring playfully at Phil.

"I did not! You must have caught it on a branch or something!"

Eddie looked around at the flat, clear area, "Really? Show me the branch?"

Philip glanced around, searching for something to use, finding nothing. He laughed, "Oh come on, if you want to pick holes in my playing you can, but it's only because you know you can't win by skill!"

It was on obvious ploy, but Eddie fell for it all the same, grabbing the ball and restarting the game, his competitive streak coming out as he fought not to lose against someone less than half his age.

Finally, when Philip's stamina and youth had won out, resulting in a score of 11-7 as Eddie grabbed onto a nearby tree branch while he attempted to catch his breath, he had to admit defeat;

"Okay…" he paused for a moment, still panting, "you win. Even without Rachel scoring own-goals, you're still better than me."

Philip looked triumphant, but could help a last jibe, "giving up so easily, Eddie?"

Eddie nodded, making his way over to the picnic mat. Laughing, Philip just shook his head, continuing to dribble the ball up and down the piece of grass.

Eddie sat down heavily on the picnic blanket, smiling as he watched Philip practising, "That boy knows what he's doing Rach, I'll give him that, maybe we should try to get him to try out for the school team, it might give him some focus, what do you think?"

No reply. Eddie turned to her, frowning slightly, "Rachel… oh." he smiled at the sight in front of him.

Rachel was lying back against the tree, the sun reflecting off her hair and illuminating her face. Her eyes were closed as she dozed peacefully, a small smile playing across her lips. For the first time since last summer she looked completely relaxed. Eddie let the smile spread across his face, overcome with a rush of love for the woman before him he found himself unable to resist the urge to reach forward and brush her hair back out of her eyes. It felt like silk under his fingertips, and he left his hand there for a moment, simply gazing down at her with a besotted expression on his face.

A few metres away, Philip had stopped playing football, and had turned to make his way back over to the others. Catching sight of the perfect moment, however, he turned away, blushing slightly, wanting to give his aunt and Eddie some privacy. It should have shocked him, really, considering the man staring at Rachel with such love in his eyes had been engaged to his mother only a couple of days earlier. Certainly, he hadn't foreseen a romance between the two. But somehow, the undeniable _rightness_ of that moment, blew all of that away. Whatever had passed between Eddie and his mother, it was nothing to the emotion in that one simple look.

_**Just a few words, please? x**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N: Hi everyone! Right, this one's for Ella, my sister, who is apparently the only one still reading this (at least I presume that's the reason for the lack of reviews). Since that is probably the case I'll stick as much as possible up over the next few days, so for those of you that have me on author alert, hang on to your hats, I just figured I might as well get it up there so it's there for anyone who wants it, so here you go:**_

**Chapter 7**

_A few metres away, Philip had stopped playing football, and had turned to make his way back over to the others. Catching sight of the perfect moment, however, he turned away, blushing slightly, wanting to give his aunt and Eddie some privacy. It should have shocked him, really, considering the man staring at Rachel with such love in his eyes had been engaged to his mother only a couple of days earlier. Certainly, he hadn't foreseen a romance between the two. But somehow, the undeniable __**rightness**__ of that moment, blew all of that away. Whatever had passed between Eddie and his mother, it was nothing to the emotion in that one simple look. _

Instinctively waking at the feel of Eddie watching her, Rachel opened her eyes slowly, blinking in the bright light. She smiled as she saw Eddie there, yawning slightly, "Sorry, I must have dozed off, you okay?"

Eddie didn't reply, too busy marvelling at the way her eyes sparkled in the sun to even notice that she was speaking to him.

"…Eddie?" shaking his head slightly he looked at her, trying to keep his eyes away from hers for long enough to reply, "Yeah?"

"I asked if you were okay." She smiled slightly at his lack of concentration, intentionally not focussing on the reasons behind it for fear of losing her composure in front of Philip.

Eddie smiled, "Of course I am, I'm with you."

He'd been sort of hoping for a cinema-quality reaction to that statement, possibly involving declarations of love or simply her falling into his arms. What he'd not expected was for her to laugh in his face. Seeing his look of shock, Rachel quickly tried to explain, "Sorry Eddie, that was really sweet, it's just… well, picnic, sun, lying under a tree... doesn't this strike you as just a teeny bit cliquéd?"

Seeing her point, Eddie chuckled too, the laughter allowing him to come to his senses and move a little further away from her, although from the way Philip was busy playing, he suspected he wouldn't even notice if he kissed her… now, that was a thought… Eddie looked back towards her, wondering whether they could get away with it. Reading his intentions in his eyes, Rachel quickly shook her head,

"No way Eddie, Phil's just over there!"

Hearing his name and figuring it was safe to return, Philip hurried over, "Did you want me?"

Sighing slightly with disappointment, Eddie moved further away from Rachel, smirking slightly as he saw the slight pink tinge to her cheeks, obviously aware of how close they had come to being caught.

"Er, Phil, yes… do you want anything else to eat? Because I was thinking we should maybe be getting back, it'll be getting dark soon." Rachel closed her eyes momentarily in frustration as she realised the ridiculousness of her words. Philip looked at the sun, still high in the sky and likely to remain there for at least another four hours, at his aunt's slight blush and the slightly put-out look on Eddie's face, and realised he'd perhaps returned at the wrong moment. He decided maybe he should his feelings on the subject clear, show them they didn't need to sneak around, "I think it's great you know," he started earnestly. Both Eddie and Rachel turned to look at him, confusion on their faces, and the words he had been planning on speaking left his mind, "well, um, you know, um… the weather?" he eventually supplied weakly, deciding if Rachel could speak nonsense, so could he. He was met with two blank looks.

"Er, yeah…."

Philip tried again "No, that wasn't what I meant to say, I meant… I don't mind."

Rachel and Eddie looked at each other, then back at Philip, "Don't mind what, Phil?"

"Um, well," he felt himself turning red at their attention, hoping against hope that he hadn't got the wrong end of the stick, "well…"

"Oh spit it out Phil!" said Rachel; his stuttering was beginning to make her nervous.

"'." Phil mumbled quickly, turning bright red. There was a long pause as both adults tried to decipher his meaning. Rachel paled, "Ah, right." she said softly, unsure of whether Phil actually felt that way, or was just trying to let them know he knew.

Philip must have been having an unusually perceptive day that day, because he picked up on it, speaking hurriedly, "No Rach, I think it's really… sweet." he said, somewhat awkwardly. There was another pause. Then Rachel broke the silence, turning to Philip with an indignant look, "Did you just call me 'sweet'?"

Philip grinned, "Will you put me in detention if I say yes?"

Rachel laughed, "I could, but somehow I think you might refuse to go… something along the lines of me currently being Auntie Rachel."

Both Philip and Eddie burst out laughing at her use of the word 'auntie', and it was a few moments before anyone was able to speak again. Surprisingly, it was Eddie who spoke next, putting an arm around Rachel's shoulders as he did so, glad not to have to 'creep around' as Philip put it, any more, "When on earth did you guess that Rach and I were, well, seeing each other?"

Philip opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by Rachel, who had turned to glare at Eddie, "Excuse me, but I was under the impression that we **weren't** seeing each other, I thought we were doing the just friends thing for a while so Phil would stop breaking things!"

Philip looked confused, and was about to ask exactly _what_ his aunt was on about, when he was cut off by Eddie, now grinning cheekily, "Well I'm very sorry, but as far as I'm aware Phil didn't start breaking things until **after** you'd started the 'just friends' policy, not very successfully I might add!"

Seeing Eddie pause for breath, Phil once again tried to ask what on earth they were talking about, when he found himself cut off again, this time by Rachel, "Well it would have been successful, if you hadn't kept trying to sabotage it!"

Being bright enough to guess the basics of what they were on about, Philip was seriously debating placing his hands over his ears and singing very loudly, but then reflected on what he'd been subjected to when his mother and Eddie had been together, and decided that actually he really didn't mind Eddie with this sister. He didn't even have to chance to open his mouth this time, as Eddie had responded almost immediately, removing his arm from around Rachel's shoulders and leaning away from her.

"Okay then, no more sabotage, I'll make this very easy for you," he stood up and walked away, before sitting on the grass again, "I'll stay at least three metres away at all times." He crossed his arms defiantly, looking at her. Rachel raised her chin, looking straight back at him, "Fine."

Eddie nodded, "You know you'll crack first."

Rachel smiled, "You have no idea how competitive I can be Mr Lawson."

"Not as competitive as me."

Rachel simply turned away, returning her gaze to her nephew, "Anyway Phil, when _did_ you guess?"

Philip blushed, still feeling guilty for having intruded on what he felt was a very private moment, "Um… just now… you were asleep… and Eddie, well, he was looking at you, and well, you can just tell, y'know."

Eddie blushed, looking down at the picnic rug, while Rachel smiled at him, secretly pleased that his feelings for her were so obvious. Still, her responsibilities were as ever at the forefront of her mind, and she turned to Philip, frowning slightly, "And are you sure you're okay with this Phil, because if you're not, we'll…" she paused, not quite knowing what she would do if he wasn't, "…well we'll work something out. I mean, I know this must be hard, what with your mum and everything, I mean it seems a bit sudden to me too…" she glanced somewhat worriedly at Eddie, her fear of being the rebound girl still lurking at the back of her mind.

Philip shook his head, "No, I'm fine with it. Mum and Eddie were never right for each other anyway, I mean, he always loved you, didn't he?" Philip blushed, wondering why he'd said it almost as soon as the words had left his mouth. Rachel simply sat, looking at Eddie with a shocked expression, before she snapped herself out of it, laughing nervously, "What makes you say that Phil?"

Philip looked at his feet, "Well you don't fall in love with someone overnight, do you? And, well, he never looked at her like that."

Eddie was quick to respond, "Phil, I like your mother, liked your mother… until…" he paused somewhat awkwardly, before continuing, "anyway, I wasn't leading her on, really I wasn't, my feelings for Rachel… well I was trying to convince myself I didn't _have_ feelings for Rachel. In fact, the moment I realised I loved her… well it was the moment Melissa accused me of it. I truly wasn't trying to hurt her."

Philip looked away uncomfortably, "S'ok. She's a cow anyway."

Rachel put a hand on his arm, "Try not to be too hard on her Philip, she's in a difficult place right now…"

He cut her off, "Yeah, well she put herself there, didn't she?" Rachel tried to respond, but Philip just shook his head, "nah, don't worry about it. She never really cared anyway. She never did things like this," he gestured to the picnic basket, before looking back at Rachel, looking a little unsure, "Rach, if she doesn't come back…"

Rachel anticipated the question before he could finish it, "You're staying with us, I mean me," she glanced apologetically at Eddie, "Phil, I enjoy having you around, even if I'll never let you near the kitchen ever again! You can stay as long as you want to, whether or not your mum comes back."

Philip smiled, "Thanks… auntie Rach, you're really sweet!"

She threw an orange at him.

The orange-throwing had resulted in a full-scale food fight, as the three of them chucked the remains of the picnic at each other, Eddie and Rachel dancing around to ensure they kept to their three-metre limit, and making Philip laugh so hard he couldn't throw anything, which they both decided was a good thing.

Once they had all exhausted their childish urges and the food had been returned to the picnic basket (Rachel's orders, she had not wanted to 'pollute the countryside'), and Rachel had removed the breadcrumbs from her hair (Eddie's fault; he'd shredded the remaining bread and thrown it at her, where it had been caught by the wind, successfully covering her in crumbs), they found themselves once again sat on the picnic mat, Eddie and Rachel both feeling the pull to give up of their agreement and move nearer to each other, but neither willing to back down. After they had sat in silence for a few moments, the adults glaring at each other in the hope it would cause the other one the hurry up and give in, Philip spoke, "So what you planning on doing at school then, I mean, you gonna tell them or what?"

Rachel coughed uncomfortably and looked at the ground. Eddie frowned, "Rach?"

She looked up, blushing slightly, "I, er, think that ship's already sailed?"

Philip looked confused, "What ship?"

Both Eddie and Rachel laughed, meeting each others eyes and feeling that connection strum through them, before glancing away again, neither wanting to be tempted to give up. Rachel turned to Philip with a smile, "It's an expression Phil, means that I don't think we have any choice in the matter now," she looked at Eddie, "yesterday, when I stayed at the school, Steph was with me, and, well, we got chatting," Eddie groaned, dropping his head into his hands, but Rachel spoke over him; "No, I think I've really misjudged her, she was so supportive yesterday…"

Eddie cut her off, "That may be so Rach, but she's also the biggest gossip in the whole bloody school; we'll be getting wolf whistles every time I so much as breathe near you for weeks."

Rachel laughed, then gestured at the space between them, "We'll just have to keep this up then, won't we?"

Eddie raised his eyebrows, "You think you can last that long."

He was smiling slightly, and his eyes were alight with the cheekiness she so loved about him, causing an unintended answer to slip from Rachel's lips, "No."

She looked as shocked as he did, bringing her hand to her lips in surprise, and laughing, "I mean yes! Sorry, don't know what I was thinking!"

Eddie simply looked at her, still smiling slightly, tempting her, "Sure you don't want a hug Rach?"

Rachel bit her lip, determined not to let him win, "Only if you want to come over here and give it to me."

Philip blushed at the obvious flirting going on in front of him, "I know I said I didn't mind, but I'm being scarred for life here!"

They all laughed, looking as much a family as anyone ever has, as Rachel apologised to Phil and Eddie made some comment about him not having seen anything yet, which caused Phil to turn away in disgust, playfully covering his ears.

Rachel shivered suddenly as a cold gust of wind blew past, looking up at the rapidly darkening skies in disappointment, before turning to the others, "I think we'd probably best be getting back before we get rained on!"

Eddie laughed, "What harm did a bit of rain ever do anybody?"

Rachel and Phil just glared at him, causing him to sigh, "Fine, let's pack up then."

They all reluctantly stood up from where they had been sat on the blanket, Rachel grabbing one end of it and Eddie the other, before they realised that folding it would cause them to break their three-metre rule.

"Want to come over here and give that end to me?" Rachel asked, raising one eyebrow. Eddie merely smirked, "Nice try Rach, why don't you hand it to me, you know you want to" he smiled at her, but she simply glared back at him. They'd reached a stalemate. Neither of them was going to back down, though they both wanted to, and so they both simply stood there, glaring at each other playfully.

Finally, Philip sighed, taking the rug off his aunt and folding it with Eddie, rolling his eyes, "honestly, you wouldn't believe you two were the adults." He placed the blanket on top of the picnic basket, turning back to his aunt and Eddie, expecting to see them preparing to return to the car. But no, that was obviously too much to ask, instead they were still stood there, each trying to persuade the other to back down.

Philip waved his arms between them, breaking their gaze and causing a slight blush to creep over Rachel's cheeks as she realised how long she must have been stood there. She cleared her throat, turning her attention to her nephew, "Right, back to the car then?" he nodded, grabbing the football, and they set off down the path together, Rachel pausing to call to Eddie, "grab that basket would you?" before turning away, continuing towards the car.

"No." She turned, surprised, to see Eddie smirking at her, "I won't take the basket unless you'll come and walk next to me, otherwise you can take it. Rachel frowned, "But Eddie, you know I can't carry it on my own!"

Eddie just smiled, "I do."

Rachel stamped her foot in frustration, looking every inch the petulant child, glaring at Eddie as she spoke, "that's cheating!"

Philip sighed loudly and walked over to Rachel, holding his hand out, "Okay, if you two are going to stay up here and argue that's your look out, but can I have the car keys please, I really don't want to get rained on!"

Not taking her eyes away from Eddie's, Rachel reached into her pocket and removed the keys, tossing them to Philip, just as the first drops of rain started to fall. Phil took them, shaking his head, and set off to the car, wondering what it was about Eddie that made all the women in his life insane. Well, come to think of it, his mother had always been a little insane, but she'd never pretended to be arrested before… at least, he didn't _think_ she had…

Up on the hill, Rachel was shivering slightly as the rain fell onto her skin. Eddie was trying very hard not to let on how much the sight was affecting him, deciding to try and turn it on her instead, "you sure you're okay Rach, it looks a little cold over there by yourself."

Rachel scowled at him, "Just take the basket, _please_ Eddie, I want to get back to the car."

When she pleaded with him like that it was very, very hard not to do as she asked, and Eddie had to look away before he replied, "Only if you come over here."

Rachel sighed in frustration, "Fine!"

Eddie looked up hopefully, but she was simply crossing across to where the basket was sitting on the now-wet grass, lifting it into her arms with difficulty and setting off down the hill. Trying very hard to quash the feelings of guilt at the sight of her struggling, Eddie followed.

The hill was quite steep, and the rain was making it slippery, meaning Rachel was having to use to every ounce of concentration to get down it safely, hindered by the huge picnic basket but feeling reassured at Eddie's presence behind her, even if he wasn't going to come any closer. She had nearly reached the bottom when she stepped on a wet leaf, causing her to completely lose her balance, getting that sick feeling that implied she was about to hit the ground, hard.

However, rather than finding herself falling down the rest of the hill, Rachel suddenly found Eddie's arms around her, pulling her quickly back to her feet. Catching her breath, she glanced around, meeting his concerned eyes, "You okay Rach?"

She smiled, feeling ridiculously happy to be in his arms again, but not willing to let on, "You lost!"

Eddie rolled his eyes, "And there I was thinking I was being a gentleman and saving you!"

Rachel laughed, "Of course, my knight in… well… jeans, but who cares!"

Eddie grinning, reaching for the picnic basket, "Here, give me that!" she handed it over with a smile, although this changed to surprise when he simply placed it on the ground and turned back to her, wrapping his arms around her once more.

"Eddie? What are you doing?" He looked at her, smiling gently, before he spoke, "Well, Miss Mason, I'm afraid you've left me in a rather awkward situation."

She raised her eyebrows, "Really? And what might that be?"

Eddie smiled, lifting one hand to cup her cheek before he spoke again, "Well you see, I can't help that think, that while you were _avoiding_ me back there… you many have been teasing me a little."

Rachel smirked, "And what if I was? It's not as though you were being particularly saintly yourself Mr Lawson."

Eddie's smile grew even wider, and he paused for a moment, simply drinking her in, before he responded, "Maybe not, but you see, now that I find you here," he gestured at the almost non-existent space between them, "and now that a certain nephew of yours is safely in the car, I find myself with a very strong desire to kiss you." He looked into her eyes, hoping their teasing had been a sign that she was going to stop fighting this, to let him love her. Thankfully, her next words confirmed this.

"Really? Well you know, I've heard that ignoring such desires can be very dangerous." She was grinning now, her eyes locked with his as she enjoyed the light banter that had been missing for so many weeks with Melissa's presence.

Eddie leaned closer to her, so that their lips were almost touching, and whispered his next words, smiling as Rachel shivered at his proximity, "so you think, perhaps, I should just… give in?"

She looked at him, desire clear in her eyes as she breathed her next word; "definitely."

She leant forwards, their lips meeting softly, a kiss full of the love they felt for each other, unmarred by guilt or desperation, all of their problems and responsibilities forgotten as they gave themselves up to the moment. Eddie pulled her instinctively closer, the contact making them both gasp and allowing the kiss to turn more passionate, neither of them aware of anything except the other, not noticing as the raindrops fell more heavily, slowly soaking through their clothes with such a ferocity that they would have shivered, were it not for the contact that was keeping them warm.

A short distance away, a 16-year-old boy sat alone in a car, playing games on his iPod and looking out at the pouring rain, trying very hard not to think of what could have distracted his aunt and her new boyfriend sufficiently that they would remain outside in the pouring rain when they could be sat in a dry car. Shuddering at the mental images, he slipped his headphones in, searching through his iPod for a song unrelated to love or lust, and playing it on full volume. He was beginning to wish he'd kept his mouth shut.


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N: And here's the next one! Drop me a line if you enjoy it, or even if not, I'd love to hear from you!**_

**Chapter 8**

Once Eddie and Rachel had made it back to the car, both slightly pink-faced and dripping wet from the rain that continued to pour down, returning the picnic basket to the car boot and climbing into the front seats, Rachel turned to Philip, "You alright Phil?"

He didn't respond, continuing to stare out of the window at the pouring rain, causing Eddie and Rachel to exchange worried glances.

"Phil? You alright mate?" tried Eddie, causing Rachel to flash him a grateful smile, a smile that quickly changed to a look of bewilderment when Philip still didn't say anything. She sighed, "Phil, I realise this must be hard, but you're going to have to talk to us about it."

Silence.

She tried again, "Come on Phil, you were perfectly happy earlier, what's changed hmmm? If there's something wrong we'll deal with it, I promise, but I can't do that if you're now speaking to me. Please Phil, just tell me what's up."

No response.

Rachel looked at Eddie, a pleading look in her eyes and he nodded, taking over the pleading, "Come on Phil, ignoring us isn't going to make it any better, let's have an adult conversation about this, yeah?"

Philip continued to stare out the window, giving absolutely no sign that he'd heard anything either of them had been saying.

Rachel lost her temper, "Philip Ryan will you stop acting like a petulant child and talk to us! I'm very sorry if you're upset but you've given no indication of it before and we're not mind-readers you know, now grow up and tell me what's wrong!"

He didn't even bat an eyelid. Rachel once again looked at Eddie, tears of frustration beginning to build at the corners of her eyes. Seeing this, Eddie turned to the back, intent on making Philip talk to them, "PHILIP RYAN WILL YOU LISTEN TO YOUR AUNT!" he bellowed, anger clouding his tone as a solitary tear made its way down Rachel's cheek.

Philip looked up, surprise on his face at how angry Eddie looked, "Sorry, did you want something?"

Rachel caught her breath, turning in her seat to face her nephew, "Philip, please."

Phil pulled his iPod out of his pocket, pausing it, and removed his headphones from his ears, "Sorry, can't hear you properly with that on…" he trailed off at the look on Rachel's face, "Rach, you okay?"

Rachel simply looked at him, beginning to smile, "You couldn't hear us?"

Philip shook his head, "No, why, were you trying to talk to me?"

Eddie started to laugh, "You couldn't hear us?"

Philip looked at them, confused, "No, I've just said that… what on earth are you two laughing at?"

They had somehow made it home in one piece. Once they had stopped laughing, Rachel had explained to Phil quite _why_ she had been crying, causing him to mutter something that sounding suspiciously like 'hysterical women', and they had set off home. Now, ten minutes later, they had arrived, miraculously safely, no thanks to Eddie who had been doing his best to distract her the entire way, despite her pointing out that if she lost control of the car, they would _all_ be in big trouble.

Still, they were home, and they were safe, even though both Rachel and Eddie were now shaking in their wet clothes. The rain had now miraculously stopped, and as they got out of the car Rachel glared resentfully up at the sky, "Typical, it has to be sunny now, when I'm not stood in it, doesn't it?"

Philip just rolled his eyes, looking a little smug, "_**I**_ managed to stay perfectly dry!"

Rachel and Eddie met each other's eyes over the top of the car. Rachel coughed uncomfortably, "Yeah well we got a little… distracted."

Philip clamped his hands over his ears, running towards the house, "Don't want to know!"

Laughing, Rachel followed him, unlocking the front door to let them in, smiling at Eddie when he arrived carrying the picnic basket, "Thanks!"

He merely grinned at her, carrying the basket through to the kitchen while she locked the car and closed the front door. Having done this, she made her way into the kitchen, finding Philip drinking a glass of water while Eddie switched the kettle on, "Leave that for now, come on, upstairs!"

Philip spat a mouthful of water all over the kitchen floor, and Eddie looked at her, smiling with laughter, "Bit forward aren't we Rach?"

Rachel blushed as she realised what they were getting at, rolling her eyes, "Men, honestly, one-track minds! No, we just need to get out of these…" catching herself before she completed the sentence, Rachel quickly rephrased, "change our clothes for something warmer."

Still laughing softly, Eddie followed her out of the kitchen and up the stairs, leaving Philip in the kitchen trying to rid himself of very disturbing mental images for the fifth time in the last hour.

As they reached the top of the stairs, Rachel turned to Eddie, ushering him in the direction of the bathroom, "Don't drip on the carpet! Get in there and I'll go fetch a towel for you."

Eddie frowned, "But all my clothes are in my room!"

Rachel laughed, "That's your problem!"

She headed into her room to fetch the towels, as Eddie attempted to run quickly into his room to grab some clothes, not quite managing it and meeting her as she was coming out of her room again. She raised an eyebrow, "And what are you doing out of that bathroom?"

Eddie thought fast, "Erm… coming to see the woman I love?" he pulled her towards him and kissed her gently. Rachel smiled as she pulled away, "Good answer!" she handed him the towels, "Now off you go."

Eddie laughed, "Yes Miss!"

Rachel laughed too, disappearing into her room to change, pulling her top over her head as she pushed the door shut behind her.

"Rach do you mind if I…" Eddie stopped speaking as he caught sight of her, "Sorry!"

He knew he should turn away, but somehow… he just couldn't manage to drag his eyes away…

Rachel gasped, turning her back on him, mortified. There was a moment of silence, as Rachel looked down at herself, the scar standing out against her otherwise pale skin. Tears of embarrassment escaped her eyes, leaving salty tracks down her cheeks and splashing onto the carpet.

Eddie spoke again, a little unnerved by her silence, "Sorry Rach, I just came to ask…"

She cut him off, suddenly unable to bear having him near her, "Just get out!"

Eddie stepped towards her, confused and concerned, "Rach, I…"

"I told you to get out, get away from me!"

Rachel didn't move, staying facing the wall, waiting until she heard his footsteps recede and her bedroom door close. And then she cried. Sinking shakily onto her bed, she curled into a ball, sobbing for the relationship that had been so perfect just minutes ago. She loved him, she really did, and after everything they'd been through together… she'd thought he loved her too.

She reached up and grabbed a pillow from the top of the bed, hugging it to her tightly as she cried, still shaking from the cold but currently uncaring of her physical well-being, too upset to even notice. She'd thought Eddie was different, after all he knew about her past, and he still wanted to be with her. He'd known about her scar too, but that had been a brief moment, weeks ago. Evidently when faced with it so… _obviously_ he'd been unable to cope with it. She'd seen the way his eyes had stayed there, clearly disgusted by it.

It wasn't as though she really blamed him, after all she could barely look at herself in a mirror anymore, but she'd hoped he'd be able to see past it, to see her behind the scar. Obviously she'd been wrong. It didn't really surprise her, she'd never really had much luck with men, but still… she'd thought he was different. She crushed the pillow tightly in her arms, sobbing properly now, taking great gulping gasps of air whispering into the empty room the words that just wouldn't stop spinning around her head; "I thought you were different."

Eddie was sat on the landing, his back to the wall and his head in his hands. He'd left the room when she screamed at him, but not gotten much further, simply sinking to the floor just outside her room and staying there, feeling a complete an utter idiot. He wasn't entirely sure what he'd done, but it had evidently upset her, and upset her enough to change her from relaxed and joking to tearful and angry in the space of a couple of minutes. And the awful thing was, he had an idea what he might have done.

He hadn't meant to, honestly, and when he'd entered that room the thought that she might have already started undressing hadn't even crossed his mind; he'd merely wanted to ask if he could use the shower. But seeing her there, like that, well. He truly didn't want anything from her, not so early in their relationship, but no one could deny that she was beautiful. She was beautiful, and he was male, and he'd not been able to tear his eyes away quick enough. And now she thought that he was only after one thing, and who could blame her? He sighed, trying to block out the sound of her sobs, fighting the impulse to go in there and comfort her, afraid that he would only make things worse.

And then he heard it. A broken whisper, full of the pain that she was obviously feeling right now; "I thought you were different."

His decision made by those five words, Eddie rose, knocking gently on her door, "Rach?"

Her could hear her breath catch as she realised he was there, "L… leave me al… alone, Eddie." she choked out, barely able to speak through her tears.

Which was when he decided to disobey her for the first time in his life. He entered the room, immediately spotting her curled up on the bed and walking over to her, placing a hand on her arm. She flinched away from the contact, looking up at him in shock before pulling herself upright and running into the en suite bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Eddie sighed and went to sit the other side of the bathroom door, "Rach, please, talk to me."

"T… there's nothing more to say," she was still crying, but he could hear her trying to compose herself, making him wince. She was putting her walls up again.

"It… it's fine, Eddie," she continued, shakily, "I understand. You can g… go whenever you want. I w… won't stop you."

Eddie leant his head against the bathroom door, "Rachel, please, I don't think you do understand,"

She cut him off with a bitter laugh, "Of course I do, I've been through this plenty of time before… not like this, but I have."

Frustration made Eddie's policy of trying to talk things through slowly and calmly fly out the window, "Been through what, Rach? I don't understand! Please, tell me what's going on, I love you!"

There was a pause before she spoke, and then her voice was small, and confused, "You… you what?"

Eddie's voice softened, "I love you, Rachel, with all my heart."

A small beacon of hope flared inside her as Rachel asked him the question she needed to know the answer to, "Even though?"

"Even though what, Rach?" Eddie asked, confused.

"My… my scar, I thought…" she stuttered out.

Eddie sighed, "Oh, Rachel, that scar shows your bravery, it's nothing to be ashamed of. It just makes you more beautiful."

Slowly, the bathroom door opened, causing Eddie to scramble up as Rachel stepped out, her eyes red from crying but full of hope. Still, she had one last question she needed answering, "But… but, y…you were staring…"

Eddie sighed, pulling her into his arms with a slight smile, relieved when she didn't resist, "Rach, it wasn't your _scar_ I couldn't take my eyes away from…"

Rachel laughed slightly through her tears, "Ohh…"

Eddie held her close to him, dropping a kiss on the top of her head as he guided her slowly across to the bed, sitting down and allowing her to curl up on his lap, her head on his shoulder as she let him comfort her. They sat in silence for a few minutes, as her tears subsided and her breathing became less ragged, before Rachel finally spoke, "Eddie… I'm sorry; I should have had more faith in you."

He looked down at her in his arms, smiling slightly, his love shining in his eyes as he replied, "You should, Rach, because nothing can change how I feel about you," she looked down, ashamed, but he lifted her chin gently, encouraging her to meet his eyes before he continued speaking, "But don't worry about it sweetheart, it's forgotten."

Rachel looked up at him, smiling as he reached out to dry her cheeks, and sighing contentedly, "I love you so much," she murmured, as Eddie leant down to kiss her softly. He smiled as she shivered at the contact, but then realised that for once it wasn't him making her shiver, "God Rachel, you're frozen!"

She laughed softly, "Actually… I am, I'd completely forgotten about it," she looked at him critically, "but you haven't changed either!"

Eddie rolled his eyes, "I'm not the one sitting here in just my bra!"

Rachel giggled, "That is a fantastic mental image though!" She stood up, and walked back through to her bathroom, grabbing a towel and wrapping it around her upper half before returning to the bedroom, finding Eddie still sat there, "Well come you, shoo! I'm not changing with you in here!"

Eddie looked at her cheekily, "Please?"

She hit him playfully on the arm, rolling her eyes and pointing at the door, "Out!"

Eddie sighed, getting up intentionally slowly and exiting the room, pausing in the doorway, "I'll cook dinner again!"

Rachel shook her head, laughing now, and made flapping motions with her hands, "Oh just go away!"

Eddie adopted a fake hurt look, "Well, if you don't want me…"

Rachel cut him off, looking unimpressed "I don't." the smirk playing around the corners of her mouth taking the sting out of the words.

Eddie sighed loudly, "I'll go then."

Rachel nodded, "You do that."

Eddie finally left, closing her door behind him and making his way into his room, laughing softly.

Downstairs, Philip turned the volume on the TV up, trying to block out the giggling from upstairs. He really _didn't_ want to know what was going on up there…

Once both Eddie and Rachel had changed into dry clothes and returned downstairs, both wondering why Philip wouldn't meet either of their eyes and why the TV was blaring so loudly, Rachel made her way into the kitchen, opening the fridge and looking critically at its contents, "Eddie, what do you want for dinner?" she asked as she heard him enter the kitchen behind her. A moment later, she felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around her waist as he kissed the back of her neck, leaning round to whisper the answer in her ear, "You."

Rachel pulled away from him slightly, laughing as she turned in his arms to allow her to meet his eyes, "Really? I'm afraid that's not on the menu tonight!" She made to pull away, but his held her there, causing her to turn back to look at him, "Eddie? You need to let me go if we're going to eat anything tonight!"

Eddie smirked, "And what if I don't want dinner?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, "You'll still have to let me go because I'm sure Phil does, and there's no way I'm letting him cook for himself, I quite like my kitchen appliances the way they are!"

A voice came through from the living room, "I heard that!"

Rachel chuckled, before trying to leave again, but finding Eddie still stopping her, "Eddie! Let me go!"

He laughed, "Nope, not until you kiss me."

Rachel rolled her eyes, attempting to look unimpressed, although the effect was ruined slightly by the grin that spread over her face, as she leant forwards, pressing her lips to Eddie's, enjoying the still relatively novel sensations that came from kissing him and smiling as she felt his hand tangle in her hair, pulling her closer. He'd kissed her not long ago, but that was a comforting, loving kiss. This, this was something different altogether. The way his lips felt against hers was addictive, causing her to lose all sense of propriety, pulling him closer as he backed her against the work surface, both of them losing themselves in the kiss. Had she not been wrapped in Eddie's arms, Rachel would probably have complained at the work surface digging into her back, but as it was she was finding it impossible to concentrate on anything but him, particularly as he slipped his hands under her top, skimming them lightly across her stomach and making her shudder.

Had either of them been thinking at all clearly, they would have realised that the kitchen, with the fridge still hanging open and Philip in just the next room, was not the ideal place for this, but as it was, they were both too busy feeling to think anything at all.

Almost without realising it, Rachel's hands had moved to the buttons on Eddie's shirt, hurriedly undoing them to allow her to run her hands over his chest, an action that caused him to pull her even closer, every inch of their bodies now touching as they allowed themselves to be ruled by their desires.

"Rach, what are we having…" Philip entered the kitchen, already asking the question as he did so, before he caught sight of Rachel, flushed with desire and tipping her head back slightly, eyes closed, as Eddie kissed his way down her neck. He gasped, automatically turning away as he did so, unable to stop the word from slipping from his lips, "Shit! Sorry!"

Rachel's eyes snapped open at the sound of her nephew's voice, automatically pushing Eddie off of her and pulling her top back down, wondering quite how it had got up there, and, more importantly, what she was going to say to Philip. She glanced helplessly at Eddie, but he didn't notice, too busy attempting to do the buttons on his shirt back up to reply. It was then that she realised what her nephew had said, and the response had left her mouth before she really registered it, "Philip! Language!"

He looked at her surprise in his eyes, taking in her ruffled hair and smudged lipstick, and smirked slightly, "Sorry Rach, but if you and Eddie are going to, well, do [i]that[/i] when I'm around, you're going to have to forgive the swearing!"

Rachel blushed scarlet, looking at the floor as she replied, "Sorry Phil, I, er, well.."

Philip held up a hand, "I don't want to know!"

There was a pause as everyone tried to think of a way to escape the awkward situation. Finally, Philip spoke again, "Look, Rach, I don't mind, but, can you just, I don't know, put a note on the door or something?"

The ridiculousness of this suggestion broke the tension, and they all started laughing, particularly when Eddie turned back to face them, successfully wearing Rachel's lipstick.

Rachel frowned slightly, "Hmmm, not really your shade!"


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N: I said there were going to be lots of updates didn't I? :P This is for GemmaMaryEllen, for taking the time to review, thank you! **_

_**Abi x**_

**Chapter 9**

Once they had all calmed down and Rachel and Eddie had cleaned up a bit (which included Rachel rebuttoning his shirt for him – something that nearly led to another marathon kissing session), Rachel returned to the kitchen, to attempt to make dinner. Again.

Re-opening the fridge, she peered inside, removing some chicken and placing it on the side, jumping when she noticed Eddie standing behind her, "Eddie! Don't creep up on me like that!"

He put his hands up in surrender, backing away and nearly falling over one of the kitchen chairs, "Oops, Sorry! I just came to see you."

She rolled her eyes, "You'd only been gone two minutes!"

Eddie smiled, "Yeah well I missed you," he moved towards her, surprised when she slipped quickly away, opening the fridge again and reaching inside for the salad, "Nope, go see Phil Eddie."

He frowned, obviously confused, "But why?"

Rachel sighed, "Because I'll never get anything done if you're here distracting me. Go and see Phil unless you don't want any dinner."

Eddie left without another word.

Once she had been left alone Rachel had put the dinner together easily, and was now placing the plates on the table, smiling slightly at the fact that she was now setting three places at the dinner table, where two days ago it was only her. She was struck with a slight sense of guilt at the realisation that that was because the two people now in her house had been keeping her little sister company, but that was quickly overcome with the thought of what she had said to Phil the previous day. Shaking her head slightly to dispel the less-than-cheerful thoughts, Rachel called through to the sitting room, "Phil, Eddie, dinner!"

It was surprising, Rachel mused as they all sat down to eat, how fast they could get there when food was involved, when you considered how long it took Eddie to get to her office when she needed a hand with the paperwork. Still, she supposed that might change soon, now she had new ways of persuading him…

"What you smiling at?" Phil asked, smiling himself at how happy his aunt seemed to be, although that changed to a grimace when she blushed, "Don't worry, I don't want to know!"

Rachel laughed, "Good response Phil!" There was a slight pause before she spoke again, "anyway, what are your plans for tomorrow?"

Philip shrugged, "I don't know really, haven't organised to do anything…" he paused, looking between the two adults, "but if you want me out the house you only have to say!"

Rachel rolled her eyes, kicking Eddie under the table when she saw him open his mouth to respond, "No Phil, I don't think that will be necessary. I was thinking maybe we could go out somewhere."

Eddie looked up, "We went out today!"

Rachel sighed, "No, we just popped out for a picnic, we didn't go out properly, and I haven't in ages, we should go somewhere!"

Seeing Philip's panicked look, she decided to offer an olive branch, "You can bring a friend if you like Phil!"

He looked at her, then at Eddie, and then rolled his eyes, "Oh yeah, come out on a day trip with the head and deputy head, that's going to go down really well!"

Rachel laughed, "I know, there's a fair going on in the town centre this weekend, why don't we go there!"

Eddie groaned, "Because we'll meet all the kids there, and because it'll be dangerous and dirty!"

Rachel decided not to comment on his choice of vocabulary, simply trying to talk him round, "Oh come on Eddie, it'll be fun!" he didn't look convinced, "Please?"

He sighed, unable to refuse her when she looked at him like that, "Fine, but you'll owe me!"

Rachel laughed, "I'm sure I can find a way to make it up to you."

Philip rolled his eyes, "Right, that's it, I'm going to see who else is going from school. I'm not putting up with this all day tomorrow!"

Philip had left the room as soon as they had finished dinner, muttering something about Facebook and needing to talk to some friends, and leaving Rachel and Eddie on their own. There was silence for a few moments before Rachel spoke, "So,"

Eddie looked at her, "So?"

She smiled, "Well, we haven't really had much time to talk recently, have we?"

Eddie laughed incredulously, "Rach, I've barely left your side for the last two days!" seeing her hurt look, he hurried to explain, "Which has been wonderful, I just don't understand what you mean."

The smile returning to her face, Rachel rolled her eyes, "Men! We haven't talked, not really, we've been too busy dealing with one crisis after the other, and teasing each other!"

Eddie smiled, taking her hand across the table, "Okay, I see your point!" there was a pause, and then Eddie spoke again, looking slightly concerned, "Rach, are you okay?" she opened her mouth to reply, but he help up his hand, continuing speaking, "I mean, I know you're not distraught, but you've had so much to contend with this last couple of days, what with Melissa, and everything."

She smiled, "Yeah Eddie, I'm alright, although I can't guarantee I won't end up sobbing all over you again in the near future; that seems to be happening a lot at the moment!"

Eddie sighed, a slight sadness reaching his features, "Don't you worry about that Rach, I'm just glad you're letting me help!"

She bit her lip, as doubts that had been there in the back of her mind surfaced. He was being so wonderful, but she couldn't help but wonder whether it was right for him to be here, with her, like this, when her little sister was distraught somewhere. She met his concerned eyes, and tried to phrase the question that could change everything, "Eddie… if I hadn't been around, I mean, if you'd never met me, do you think you and Mel would have stayed together?"

Eddie sighed at the question, knowing he owned Rachel the truthful answer, but afraid of how she would react, "Rach, it's an awful thing to admit, but if I'd never met you, well, Mel and I would never have got together in the first place."

Rachel looked confused, "What? Eddie, I don't understand."

He sighed, looking at the table, "Rachel, Melissa joined the school day after you pushed me away, and I was hurting and she was there and some crazy part of me thought that even if you would never want to be with me, if I was with her at least I'd still be close to you," he sighed, "it was stupid."

Rachel sighed, "Eddie, I... I wish you'd just told me. You hurt her."

Eddie looked at her slightly angrily, "She hurt me, Rach! I may not have loved her, but she was a close friend, and she lied to me!"

Rachel sighed, "Yeah Eddie, I know, I'm sorry. It's just, she's my little sister, you know?"

Eddie sighed too, "Yeah Rach, I know."

They sat in silence for a few moments before she turned to him again, a wicked glint in her eye, "You know, I think Phil's gone to bed."

Eddie smiled, glad to be able to tease her again, "Really? And what effect does that have on us?"

Rachel stood up, walking around the table and sitting on his lap, "Well you see, now he's not here to walk in on us…"

Eddie smiled, deciding the time for banter was over, and leant forwards, capturing her lips with his own.

This time, when Philip had to turn his music up to block out the giggles, they were less-than-innocent.

Eventually, Rachel pulled away from Eddie, resting her forehead against his as she looked into his eyes, revelling in the love she found there. She sighed as she allowed her eyes to flutter shut, weariness beginning to overcome her. Eddie smiled gently, "Time for bed?"

She nodded, dragging her eyes open and removing herself from his lap with a sigh, smiling as she felt him wrap an arm around her waist as soon as he had stood. Together, they made their way upstairs, pausing somewhat awkwardly at the top. They'd spent the previous night together, wrapped in each other's arms, but then Rachel had been upset, and the motives had clearly been comfort. Now, now it would be much more complicated.

Rachel knew she wasn't ready to take their relationship any further, not yet. She was certain that she loved him, and almost as certain that he felt the same way about her, and had done for some time, but the fact remained that they had only been together two days, and three days ago he had been engaged to her sister. She brought her hand unconsciously to her lips, resisting the urge to smirk at the slight swelling. No, tonight she would have to sleep alone. Inviting him into her bed again would only cause misunderstandings, and she was too tired for lengthy explanations.

For his part, Eddie knew that this decision was Rachel's, but equally wasn't sure what to hope for. Being able to wake with her in his arms had been wonderful, and something he wanted to repeat as often as possible, but he was well aware that neither of them were ready to take this to the next level, that wasn't what their relationship was about. It was complicated, this thing they had, not least by the fact that he had been engaged to her sister only three days earlier. Eddie still felt awful when he thought of what that relationship must have put Rachel through; he vividly remembered the sickening pang of jealousy and loss he had felt when she had had that fling with her doctor. He didn't actually know if that had gone anywhere, but he remembered Melissa chattering on about it the whole way home, while he resisted the urge to yell at her to shut up. He sighed, getting together with Melissa really hadn't been one of his most shining moments. Seeing Rachel move towards him, Eddie was pulled out of his thoughts by the sensation of her lips touching his, ever so softly, before she pulled away again with a slightly shy smile,

"Goodnight, Eddie."

Realising her decision had been made, he pulled her to him, hugging her quickly before he pulled away again, "Goodnight Rach."

She smiled, and turned to enter her bedroom, only turning back to him at the door when she realised he still hadn't moved, "It's that door, Eddie." she said with a smile, pointing towards his room. Eddie blushed slightly, choosing not to tell her that he just hadn't been able to take his eyes off her, and turned away, entering his room and closing the door behind him. He looked around at the little room, smiling as his eyes fell on the bed, the covers still crumpled from where Rachel had tried to make it look slept in that morning, in an attempt to avoid Philip finding out that they had spent the night together, however innocently. He sighed as he climbed in; there would be no need for that tomorrow morning.

In a house on the outskirts of Rochdale, two people in separate rooms drifted off to sleep, their heads filled with thoughts of the other, and hopes for the future.


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N: Guess what? It's me again! This authouress would like to point out to her sister that it has not, in fact, been anywhere near a day since she last updated, and is in fact probably far closer to 16 hours – never be inaccurate in front of a mathematician :P. For everyone who has me on author or story alert, whose inboxes I am doubtless filling up; sorry!**_

_**Abi x**_

**Chapter 10**

Eddie rolled over, his eyes opening as sunlight streamed through a gap in the curtains, pulling him from a rather strange dream involving him, Rachel and a church full of drunk teachers. He shook his head, attempting the mental image of Steph trying to chat up the vicar from his mind, and climbed out of bed, glancing at the clock as he did so. It was only half-past eight, and the rest of the house was silent, suggesting that Rachel and Philip were still asleep. Still, if he knew Rachel she'd be up within the next half-hour, never having been one for lazing around. Smiling to himself at thoughts of her, he made his way downstairs to see if he could prepare some breakfast before she woke up.

Entering the kitchen, Eddie looked around, sighing as he remembered Phil's little mishap the previous morning, which meant that they still had no toaster. He didn't think he could pull off the putting the bread in the oven thing that Rachel had managed the previous morning, and so looked into the fridge, smiling as he found eggs and bacon. Rachel would doubtless complain about how unhealthy it was, particularly since he was going to have to fry the bread too, but he was sure she'd appreciate the effort. And besides, she had to be nice to him, she was dragging him to that bloody fair for the rest of the day. Fifteen minutes later, three plates lay lined up on the side, each containing a fried egg (with small pieces of shell in, but he was sure they wouldn't notice, he'd never quite got the hang of breaking eggs…), two slices of bacon and one slice of slightly singed bread. Eddie surveyed the kitchen. It looked almost as gleaming as it had when he had entered, and much better than it had done five minutes previously, but what Rachel didn't know wouldn't hurt her. After all, the floor was relatively clean, and the bacon hadn't been down there for _that_ long…

Eddie jumped as the kitchen door opened, relaxing when Philip appeared, looking exceedingly happy at the sight of breakfast and making Eddie glad he'd thought to cater for him.

"Hi Eddie, I didn't know you could cook."

Eddie looked at the three plates with a somewhat disappointed look on his face, "Well I can't really, but I don't _think_ this lot should poison you!" He laughed, handing Phil a plate as he crossed across to the kettle, "Coffee?"

Philip nodded, and Eddie removed three mugs from the cupboard, rather proud of himself for knowing how both Rachel and Philip took their coffee. He'd lost count of the amounts of cups of coffee he'd made Rachel, usually when he had to talk to her about something first-thing in the morning; she was generally more amenable after some caffeine. And Phil, well, there are some things you pick up after living with someone for a month, and he'd always been in charge of hot drinks in the mornings, Melissa wouldn't let him near the oven. Eddie frowned, angry with himself for letting his thoughts once again return to Melissa. It was inevitable, really, their lives had been so closely linked for the last few weeks, but he still wished it would stop happening, it felt unfaithful, somehow, to the woman lying in bed upstairs. As the kettle clicked off and he poured the three drinks, grabbing the milk from the fridge and stirring them, Eddie smiled, aware that he would get to see said woman within the next few minutes. Handing the coffee to Philip, Eddie loaded both his and Rachel's drinks and breakfast onto the tray, before turning to Philip again,

"Do you know if Rachel's up yet?"

Philip shrugged, "I dunno, I couldn't hear her moving around when I got up."

Eddie nodded, "Okay, I'm going to take this up to her, alright?"

Philip nodded, turning back to his breakfast as Eddie left the room, climbing to stairs and coming to a halt outside Rachel's room, "Rach?" he called softly, "you awake?"

He heard the bed creak slightly as she sat up, before her voice reached him, still full of sleep, "yeah, you can come in."

He entered the room, smiling at the look of surprise on her face as she noticed the food, "Eddie! You made me breakfast!"

He blushed, suddenly feeling somewhat awkward, "Yeah well, I was up anyway…"

She laughed, patting the bed next to her, "Stop ruining it and come sit next to me!"

Eddie and Rachel chatted as they ate breakfast, his arm thrown casually around her shoulders as she leant against him, both of them content to be in each other's company, glad not to have to worry about keeping within professional boundaries any more. To Eddie's surprise, Rachel hadn't complained about his choice of breakfast, seemingly too touched by the gesture to want to object, and she had ploughed through the slightly crunchy fried egg without a word of protest, although he did notice her trying to subtly spit pieces of eggshell onto her plate. As they finished breakfast, Eddie placed the empty plates and mugs onto the tray, putting it onto the floor before turning his attention back to Rachel, who was watching him with a contented smile on her lips, "I didn't poison you then?"

She laughed, the sound still as beautiful to him as when he had first heard it, "I don't think so… though if I die later I _will_ blame it on your cooking!"

He smiled, although the humour had gone from his expression, and she could see passionate protectiveness in his eyes as he replied, "I'm not letting you go **anywhere** Rachel, I've only just found you, I'm not going to lose you now."

Rachel felt her breath hitch in her throat, a little afraid of this new, stronger side of Eddie. No, afraid was the wrong word, she decided, because it suggested she feared what he could do to her, which was about as far from the truth as you could get. No, the fear she felt at his expression was on his behalf, terrified of what lengths he would go to to help her. Still, she decided, allowing her gaze to leave his eyes and travel down to his lips, that wasn't a worry for now. She smiled up at him, wanting to relieve some of the tension of the situation, "Oh don't you worry Eddie, I'm not going anywhere, I'm quite content right here, thank you!"

She leant forwards, pressing her lips gently against his, feeling him respond with all the passion she had seen in his eyes earlier, collapsing against her as her arms wrapped around his neck, effectively pinning her to the bed. They stayed there for a long time as their tongues fought for dominance, both feeling their self-control weaken with every passing second. Eventually they were forced apart by a need for oxygen, Eddie coming to his senses and rolling off Rachel, lying by her side instead as he stared into her eyes, both of them trying to return their breathing to normal.

Eddie's hand came up to stroke Rachel's hair away from her face and she sighed at the contact, looking into his darkened eyes and feeling the pull to kiss him again. Then, as she heard the TV being switched on downstairs, reminding her of Philip's presence and bringing her to her senses she turned away, removing her eyes from his and breaking the connection; "Eddie, I think you'd better go."

He was instantly on edge, afraid that she was going to push him away again, he put a hand on her shoulder, hoping to comfort her and help her through whatever this was, "Rach? What's wrong sweetheart?"

She laughed, turning back to him, smiling at his concern, "Oh Eddie! Nothing's wrong, but if you don't leave this room _very_ soon our plan to take things slow is going to go straight out the window… and we probably won't ever make it to that fair!"

Eddie leant closer to her, so that his lips were nearly touching hers, "And would that be such a bad thing?"

Rachel gave into temptation, kissing him quickly, but pulling away before she had time to get carried away, "Yes! Phil's downstairs, and he's had enough shocks to do with us over the last twenty-four hours!"

Eddie laughed, remembering the incident in the kitchen the previous evening, the mortified look on Philip's face and the embarrassed one on Rachel's as she'd tugged her top back to its previous position on tried to make it look like she _hadn't_ been halfway through undressing her deputy in the middle of the kitchen, "Okay, maybe you're right!"

He reluctantly left the bed, picking up the remnants of breakfast from the floor and walking over to the door, before pausing and turning back to her with a smirk, "You do know though Rach, that I'm doing you a huge favour coming to this fair today, you'll have to think of a way to make it up to me, won't you?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, laughing, "Go and get dressed, Eddie, I'll see you in a bit!"

He left the room, almost walking into Philip who was stood on the landing, seemingly rooted to the spot, blushing furiously. Eddie fought the urge to laugh as the teenager turned to him, evidently trying to work out how to phrase what he wanted to say, "Erm, Eddie, please, could you…" he trailed off, and Eddie decided to take pity on him, chuckling softly, "Sorry Phil, I won't yell from doorways next time."

Phil winced, hurrying into his room without responding, desperately trying to erase the words 'next time' from his mind, and the awful mental images that came with them.

Now dressed and ready for the day ahead, Rachel made her way downstairs, following the sound of voices to the kitchen, then pausing in the doorway at the sight in front of her, smiling. Eddie was stood at the sink, wearing her bright pink apron and washing up the breakfast things with Philip at his side, armed with a towel, drying them off once Eddie had handed them to him. Phil was laughing at something Eddie had said, causing him to roll his eyes in exasperation. There was something about Phil's posture, the way that he was laughing without checking who was watching, that made her smile. She couldn't help but think she'd never seen him quite this care-free before.

Then it struck her. For the first time in almost sixteen years, Philip was being allowed to be a child. He didn't have to keep checking up on his mother, organising her and trying to prevent her making any more stupid mistakes, the only life he had to worry about was his own. And it was wonderful to see.

At that moment, Eddie turned, catching sight of her in the doorway, his face breaking into a smile, "Rach! You've emerged then!"

Rachel rolled her eyes, "I wasn't up there that long!" she paused, pointedly looking him up and down before returning her eyes to his, "Suits you."

"Oh ha ha, very original Miss Mason." said Eddie dryly, "And you can shut up!" he directed this last comment at Philip, who was laughing softly next to him.

Rachel gasped in mock-horror, "Mr Lawson, don't you ever let me hear you speak to anyone like that ever again!"

Eddie raised his eyebrows, "Or what?"

Rachel laughed, "Or I'll leave you to deal with all of my paperwork for a month!"

Eddie rolled his eyes, "Oh come on, I'm sure you blow this out of all proportion, you can't have _that_ much!"

Rachel met his eyes, a small amount of irritation in her voice as she replied, crossing the room and grabbing her briefcase as she did so, "Oh don't I? Why do you think I practically live in that bloody office?"

Eddie laughed, "Because you're afraid of the kids?"

Now genuinely annoyed, however irrational it was, Rachel reached inside the briefcase, pulling out a pile of paperwork the thickness of a small book and slamming it down on the kitchen table, "No, Eddie, because as fast as I work people continue to fill up my in-tray, and it's too much hassle to try and get you to help out with any of it, so I just take what I can't get done at school home, this is just this weekend's lot!"

Realising that she was genuinely upset about this, Eddie pulled off the rubber gloves, tossing them onto the side of the sink and crossing the room, pulling her unresisting into his arms, "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. And you should always be able to ask me for help, with anything. Look, I'll go through this lot with you tonight, alright? It's not just your responsibility."

She nodded, instantly calmed by his presence, and looked up at him, laughing slightly at herself, "Sorry Eddie," she glanced across the kitchen, "and Phil, I'm just horribly aware of how little work I've done this weekend," she laughed, "I'm not used to having a life!"

Philip grinned, "Neither am I!"

They both looked to Eddie, who shrugged, "I've always had a life, terribly busy social calendar me…"

Rachel cut him off her eyebrows raised, "so busy that you can spend the whole weekend with us without having to cancel anything?"

Eddie glared at her, "Yeah well I was supposed to be out of the country, wasn't I?"

Rachel looked away from him, not wanting him to see the flash of hurt I her eyes at the reference to his relationship with her sister. There was awkward silence for a moment, before Eddie finally found the right thing to say, "Of course, I'd much rather be here with you two!"

Phil laughed, and Rachel brought her eyes back up to his, smiling, "Really?"

Eddie laughed, "Of course! Who else is going to drag me places I don't want to go and bully me into carrying picnic baskets?"

Rachel gasped, "Er, excuse me, you made **me** carry the picnic basket!"

Eddie grinned, "Well you weren't very good at it, were you, you fell down the slope!"

Both Rachel and Philip laughed, Eddie's momentary lapse forgotten, and they returned to their contented teasing.

Once they had calmed somewhat, and the washing up had been finished, Rachel, Eddie and Phil shrugged on their coats and left the house, climbing into the car and setting off to the fair.

"I still don't know why you're dragging Phil and I to this Rach, I haven't been to a fair since I was his age, and I'm happy about it!" Eddie complained from the passenger seat.

"Hey, don't drag me into this!" came Phil's indignant voice from the back of the car, "I'm quite looking forward to it actually; a whole day without you two making eyes at each other!"

"Phil!" Rachel sounded genuinely shocked, "that was… uncalled for!"

Philip laughed, "But completely true!"

There was a pause as everyone accepted this fact, before Rachel spoke again, sounding slightly less sure of herself, "Phil, while we're on the subject, I know you're meeting up with friends today, and well, Eddie and I…"

Philip jumped in, correctly anticipating the question, "I'm not about the broadcast the fact Rach, I don't particularly want to spend the rest of my life grounded!"

Eddie laughed, "Correct answer Phil!" there was a pause, and Eddie glanced at Rachel, who was strangely silent, "Rachel?"

She shook herself slightly, turning around to face her nephew as she pulled up at a red light, "I wouldn't ground you Phil, not for that. I appreciate the fact that I'm your headmistress is going to be difficult, but I would never bring school problems home."

Philip laughed, attempting to put her at ease, "I know, I was only kidding! Anyway, if you two don't want to broadcast it to the entire school, is turning up somewhere where at least half the school is going to be really the best idea?"

"See? Let's just drop Phil off and go home, Rach." Said Eddie triumphantly, grinning to himself.

Rachel sighed, "Eddie, we're going whether you like it or not. And besides, there can't be that many of them there, can there?"

Phil laughed, "You weren't on Facebook last night, there's at least a hundred or so people planning on going from Waterloo Road."

Eddie groaned, "Please Rach, can't we just go home?"

She didn't reply for a moment, busy pulling into a parking space, but then she turned to him, her expression serious, "Eddie, if you really want to go home we will, but I thought you were okay with the idea last night."

He looked at her incredulously, "Last night I didn't realise quite how many of our students were going to be there!"

She fixed him with a pleading look, "Oh please Eddie, for me?"

He sighed, getting out of the car, why could he never say no to her? "Oh alright then!"

Rachel squealed with excitement, jumping out of the car and slamming her door shut before running around to the passenger side, throwing herself into Eddie's arms, who caught her, chuckling, "What do you want to do about the students though?"

Rachel looked thoughtful for a moment, "Avoid them!" she announced, like it was the most logical thing in the world. Eddie rolled his eyes, "Okay then!"

Philip laughed at their antics, climbing out of the car and pulling out his phone, "Good luck with that! I'm going to go and meet Paul and the others, if that's okay?"

Rachel nodded, "Of course, but keep your phone on, I'll ring you when we're leaving. You don't _have_ to come home with us, but I'll need to know what's going on."

Phil nodded, moving towards her as if to hug her and then stopping, looking somewhat awkward. Smiling, Rachel stepped forward, hugging him quickly before pulling away, "You go and have fun, I'll see you later!"

Phil smiled, "Yeah you too, try not to fall off anything!"

Rachel laughed, "Don't be so cheeky!" But Philip had already left, sprinting away to meet his friends, laughing to himself. Eddie turned to her, his arms still around her waist, "You do realise the house is completely empty…"

Rachel leant forwards, kissing him gently before pulling away and disentangling herself from his arms, walking away, "Yes, now let's get to this fair."

Eddie rolled his eyes, walking quickly to catch up with her and grabbing hold of her hand as he fell into step with her. Rachel looked up at him, smiling at the fact that for once in her life, she was able to be a normal woman in a relationship with a man she loved. And as he leant down, pecking her quickly on the lips, she decided that she quite liked it.


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N: -Sings- 'And another bites the dust…' hang, that's not really appropriate, is it? Ah well, have another bit, and in response to the review of the last chapter: I haven't written anything in ages, but hmm, might just consider it if I'm bored… x**_

**Chapter 11**

Rachel walked through the crowds hand in hand with Eddie, relieved that they had yet to see any of their students, not that she was entirely sure the students would actually recognise her out of school and dressed less formally, but still. She broke into a smile as they approached the big wheel, speeding up and tugging on Eddie's hand, causing him to glance up at the carriages suspended on what looked like quite old pieces of metal with some trepidation, "Tell me you don't want to go on that!" He knew it was useless even as he said it, her decision was doubtless made and there was nothing he could say or do to change it.

"Please Eddie? You can't be scared?" she laughed, teasing him as she pulled him towards the queue.

Eddie rolled his eyes, "Of course not! It's just that… well… we'll be very high up, the kids might spot us!" He smiled, glad to have found a good excuse, he knew how much Rachel cared about what the students thought of her. He was just protecting her. After all, it wasn't as though he was _really_ afraid of heights, he just preferred to keep his feet on the ground.

Rachel's voice broke through his thoughts, "Oh stop worrying Eddie, they probably won't recognise us, and if they do we'll deal with it, it's not as though it would be the most sensational piece of gossip they'd ever heard about me!" She noticed the way Eddie's grip instantly tightened on her hand at the words, his eyes flicking across to her face, checking she was okay. She smiled, leaning her head against his shoulder as they waited in the queue, feeling him relax again as he ascertained that she really was okay with it.

"Well alright then, but don't blame me when Steph won't leave you alone because she's heard it from Maxine who heard it from someone else…" Eddie babbled, before Rachel cut him off.

"Steph already knows Eddie, remember? And actually I'm not sure she will tell anyone, I saw another side to her on Friday…" Rachel replied, her voice thoughtful as she remembered the unwavering support the blonde had given her, when suddenly a thought occurred to her, "actually, when did she go on Friday, I don't remember?"

Eddie smiled somewhat sadly, "You wouldn't, she slipped away just after she dropped you off, you weren't looking at her," there was a slight pause as they both remembered Rachel's pain as she'd stood in Eddie's arms only two days earlier, before Eddie laughed somewhat wonderingly as another memory appeared in his mind, "You know what though, before she pulled away, she asked me to look after you," he paused, looking somewhat confused, before shrugging, "maybe she has changed!"

Rachel hit him playfully on the arm, "Don't be so mean Eddie, she's never been that bad, but you do see what I mean now, I'm not sure she'll tell anyone unless we want her to."

Eddie was about to reply when he realised they'd reached the front of the queue, and Rachel was handing money over to a bored-looking teenage boy, and dragging him into a rather rickety-looking carriage. Eddie wondered whether dropping to his knees and begging her not to make him do this would be melodramatic. He thought it possibly would be, and besides, she'd tease him about it for the rest of his life. He climbed in next to her, watching as the bar to his left was clicked in place. He gulped.

It was then that Eddie realised that they were actually moving, slowly, so that people could be constantly loaded in, but even as he watched they left the platform that they'd been stood on only moments earlier and the carriage began to rise very slowly in the air. He gripped Rachel's hand tightly in his, turning to look at her. Maybe if he concentrated solely on her, this would be alright.

Rachel turned, surprised by the extra pressure on her hand, to find Eddie staring at her with a curious expression on his face, "You alright, Eddie?"

He nodded, managing a weak smile, "Fine." Not wanting her to see the fear in his eyes he glanced away, out of the carriage. **Big** mistake. Somehow, the floor had gotten a lot further away while he hadn't been looking, and he was unable to help the slight gasp that escaped his lips, nor the way he held onto Rachel's hand ever-tighter as the carriage continued to rise.

Now seriously worried, and wincing at Eddie's tight grip, Rachel raised her free hand to caught Eddie's chin, forcing him to look at her, "Eddie? What's wrong?"

He shook his head, trying to smile again, "Nothing."

He looked somewhat grey, Rachel noticed, and for some reason he wouldn't look out of the carriage… oh. Suddenly realisation struck, the reason that he was so reluctant to get on the ride in the first place, why he was squeezing her hand so tightly and the odd expression in his eyes, which she now recognised as fear. Her voice softened, "Oh Eddie. You should have told me."

He looked at her, trying to look confused and ignore the way the carriage was swaying slightly in the wind, "Told you what?" his attempt at nonchalance was ruined somewhat by the way his voice had risen somewhat in fear, but he pretended not to notice.

Rachel, however, wasn't fooled, and simply sighed softly, "You should have told me that you were afraid of heights, I'd never have dragged you on here if I'd known!"

He looked at his lap, "I'm fine."

Rachel rolled her eyes, smiling slightly as an idea occurred to her, "No you're not, you're terrified, anyone can see that." he opened his mouth to deny it but she silenced him with a finger on his lips, "Sssshh, it's alright, I'm sure I can find a way to distract you."

She leant forwards, well aware that he wouldn't move at this height, and wound her free arm around his neck, bringing their lips together in a passionate kiss that made Eddie forget where he was, never-mind how high up they were.

Suddenly, Eddie found he quite liked the big wheel.

As they returned to ground level, Rachel pulled away, smiling at the look of disappointment on Eddie's face, "Rach…"

She laughed, "We're there, Eddie, you can open you eyes now!"

He did so, glancing around in surprise as a relieved smile spread across his face, "Oh, so we are!" he smiled at the teenage boy as he unlocked the bar and let them out of the carriage, pulling Rachel out after him and walking away from the queue before he turned to her, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "That was a very good distraction Miss Mason, if I may say so."

She grinned, turning to look at him, "Oh was it now?" she laughed, before her expression turned a little more serious, "but what I don't understand is why you didn't just tell me you were afraid of heights!" she stated, looking to him for an explanation.

Eddie blushed slightly, "Well, it's not very manly, is it? You're supposed to be the one whimpering and getting scared, not me!"

Rachel rolled her eyes, "So you put yourself through that because you didn't want to lose pride?" he nodded, looking a little embarrassed about that fact. Rachel sighed, "Men!"

Eddie laughed, and was about to come back with a witty response when he suddenly found himself being pulled behind a nearby booth, turning in surprise to find Rachel crouching on the floor, motioning frantically for him to keep his head down. He did so, before fixing her with an incredulous look, "What are we doing?"

Rachel looked panicked, "Sshh!" she hissed at him, "Keep your voice down!" she paused for a moment while he mouthed 'sorry' at her, before continuing, "And we're hiding."

Eddie raised his eyebrows, "Hiding? From who?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, "Janeece and Bolton! Didn't you see them?"

Eddie shook his head, still looking confused, "No, but I still don't understand why we're hiding!"

Rachel looked at him in disbelief, "Because we're here, together! Can you imagine the gossip?"

Eddie looked at her, confused, "But I thought you said you didn't mind them finding out?" he couldn't keep the edge of despair from his voice, afraid that she was going to shut him out again. To his relief, however, she simply smiled, "Yeah, well if they find out they find out, and if it's all round school on Monday, we'll deal with it, but I want today to be for us, I don't want to have to field their questions all day," she looked out from behind the booth, "I think they're gone though."

They stood, Rachel laughing as she realised they were still holding hands, and had been ever since they'd left the car. Seeing her eyes on their conjoined hands, Eddie smiled, "Inseparable, us!" Rachel grinned, leaning up to kiss him, wondering as she did quite how it was that she had ever managed to deny the chemistry between them.

After a few moments, she pulled away, dropping his hand and walking back out into the crowds, knowing that if she didn't they might never re-emerge, smiling as she felt him catch up with her and wrap an arm around her waist, leaning her head on his shoulder as they walked along.

They walked in silence for a few moments, enjoying both the sunshine and each other's company, when Rachel suddenly dived rather spectacularly into a bush, pulling him with her and dragging them both through the foliage until they were invisible from the main path. Eddie looked at her, reaching up to remove some pieces of twig from her hair, and rolled his eyes, "Rachel, do you not think that the kids are going to get a much worse impression of us if they see you dragging me into bushes than if they just saw us walking along. If you want to spend the day here, you're going to have to accept that we will probably get caught. If you're that bothered, maybe we should go home."

Rachel shook her head, "No, we're staying, let's just move away from the most popular areas," she said decisively, absent-mindedly pulling leaves from his hair as she spoke, before walking away towards one of the more deserted paths, Eddie following with a sigh, "Fine Rach, but no more bushes okay?"

She laughed, "Okay, no more bushes," she paused for a moment, allowing him to catch up with her and catching hold of his hand again, "I'll admit it wasn't one of my brightest moments."

Eddie rolled his eyes, "Understatement of the century."

Two hours later, Rachel and Eddie were walking away from the dodgems, Eddie rubbing his leg from where they had hit a car in front while Rachel laughed at him, carrying the large pink bear that she had won earlier (Eddie had at first offered to win it for her, but failed miserably, causing her to have to show him how it was done, much to his embarrassment). They had dived behind things a fair few more times, but not as dramatically as the bush incident earlier, and Rachel was beginning to relax about being seen together.

As they passed a van selling candyfloss Eddie say Rachel glance behind at it wistfully, before turning back around, a determined look on her face, he smiled, "Do you want some candyfloss?"

She shook her head, "No, it's really bad for me and it'll kill my teeth and who over the age of nineteen eats candyfloss anyway?" she paused for a moment, then sighed, "Yes, yes I do."

Eddie grinned, walking towards the van and pulling out his wallet, causing Rachel to protest instantly, "Eddie, it's my candyfloss, I can pay for it!"

He laughed, looking down at her, "Rubbish, you've paid for tons today, this can be my treat," he paused, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "And besides, if I pay for it I can nick some without feeling too guilty!"

Rachel laughed too, feeling his free arm wrap itself around her shoulders and sighing in contentment as he spoke to the girl in the van and handed over some money in return for the candyfloss. She held out a hand expectantly but he shook his head, "Nope, I'm worried you'll run off with it!"

She rolled her eyes, grinning, and leant forwards to take a bite, deciding not to argue. They wandered away from the main fair and came to a bench, sitting down by taciturn agreement and continuing to eat the candyfloss contentedly. It shrunk surprisingly quickly, until there was little more than a bite left on the white stick, which both Rachel and Eddie dived for at the same moment, finding themselves meeting in the middle and turning innocent candyfloss-eating into a surprisingly passionate kiss that threatened to strip them of all their self-control.

Somehow the stick slipped from between their lips, allowing them each to focus on nothing but the other, and the sugary sweetness that was almost sticking their lips together. For several long minutes, neither head nor deputy were aware of anything except the moment, until Eddie finally pulled away, gasping, surprised to find that Rachel had somehow made her way onto his lap, her skirt riding up dangerously high. Resisting the urge to simply forget where they were and kiss her again, he tugged it gently down, causing her eyes to fly open as she glanced around, a slight flush to her cheeks before she began giggling softly, "I think we'd better head home Eddie, don't you?"

He nodded, standing as she did and following her in the direction of the car, both of them aware that after that kiss staying in public for much longer could prove… problematic. As they climbed into the car and drove home, their thoughts were only of each other, and giving in to desires that they had been resisting for far too long.

It looked like Phil would be walking home.

The drive back to Rachel's was silent, punctuated only by the car's occupants glancing covertly at each other, and then away again before they could be caught. The decision to go home had been caused by a number of factors, not least the amount of students milling around, but as they got ever closer to their destination neither Rachel or Eddie was entirely sure what would happen when they were there.

Rachel was trying to keep her concentration on the road as she drove, trying to ignore the presence of the man to her left, and all the insecurities that came with that. She was well aware that once alone in a house together, it would be all too easy to give in to their feelings and take this further, but she wasn't entirely sure whether either her or Eddie were actually ready for that yet. In some ways, she thought she was worrying about nothing, after all they may have only been officially together for a couple of days but she had loved him much longer than that… she sighed, her thoughts returning predictably to her sister, and Eddie's relationship with her. They'd had a good chat the previous evening, which had allayed some of her fears about being the rebound, but you couldn't get away from the fact that had Phil not told her about the bigamy they might have been married right now. She shuddered, braking suddenly as she nearly shot past her turning, and sighing as she flicked the indicator on and turned right.

She guessed that would always be something she'd just have to live with, the fact that the man she loved had almost married her sister. She snorted, it sounded like something out of 'Eastenders', two sisters fighting over the same man, particularly when you considered the double bigamy. Shaking herself out of her thoughts she pulled into her drive, switching off the engine and climbing out of the car, Eddie doing the same. They walked in silence up to the house, both aware of the space between them but afraid to close it, old insecurities surfacing and making the situation somewhat awkward.

Unlocking the door, Rachel walked inside, Eddie following and closing the door behind him, the slam seeming ridiculously loud in the silence. They stood for a moment, both unsure of what to say. Eddie inwardly rolled his eyes, they'd been living together in this house for the past two days, had dealt with Philip's disappearance and Rachel's insecurities about her scar, and not once had they stopped speaking. Now, when nothing was wrong except a slight sense of anticipation, they were neither of them sure what to say.

"Do you want a coffee?" Rachel asked suddenly, cursing herself for choosing _that_ icebreaker, hoping that Eddie wouldn't read the wrong meaning into her words.

Eddie just nodded, grateful to her for breaking the silence, "I'd love one."

They lapsed into silence again, walking together into the kitchen, both wondering quite how it had gotten so awkward between them. Rachel switched on the kettle and removed the mugs and coffee from the cupboard, smiling her thanks at Eddie when he passed her the sugar before turning away from him to make the drinks, leaving him stood somewhat awkwardly in the middle of the kitchen.

For a few moments the only sounds were the water coming slowly to the boil, and the clinking of metal spoon against china as Rachel put instant coffee and sugar into the mugs. Seeing she was finished with the milk, Eddie leant forwards to pick it up, his hand accidentally brushing her arm as he did so. The effect was instant.

Having been apart since that explosive kiss only a quarter of an hour earlier, pent up feelings and desires rushed suddenly to the surface with that simply touch, causing Rachel to turn on the spot, the milk and coffee forgotten as their lips met once again, Eddie's arms wrapping around her waist when she staggered slightly, steadying her and holding her tightly against him. Suddenly, as they pretty much picked up where they'd left off earlier, all the carefully thought up reasons for taking this slow flew from both their minds.

Eddie had always thought that when their relationship got this far, it would have at least been mentioned, he'd pictured making absolutely sure that Rachel was ready for this next step before they took it any further, taking it slowly, very aware of both her past and how much he'd hurt her recently.

In reality, it was nothing like that. Neither of them were sure quite when they decided there was no point fighting this, or quite how they knew it was a mutual decision, because no words were spoken after their lips had met in the kitchen. Nor were they sure quite how they made it upstairs, their memories consisting only of each other, and how wonderful it felt to be able to completely let go like this.

As they entered Rachel's bedroom, falling together onto the bed, already only half-dressed, Rachel remembered Phil, and the conversation they'd had that morning about giving him a lift home. For a moment, she thought that she should pull away, find a phone and call him, but then Eddie was kissing her again, and it suddenly didn't seem to matter anymore.

Three hours later, Philip arrived home, smiling with relief at having found his aunt's car in the drive, having been unable to reach her or Eddie and been getting increasingly worried about what might have happened. As he unlocked the front door, thanking the Gods that he had had the foresight to take a key with him, he almost fell over a scrap of fabric lying in the hall. Switching the light on, he picked it up, wondering quite why one of his aunt's shirts was lying in the hallway. Then he thought back to the morning, realising she'd been wearing that one only a few hours earlier. As he climbed the stairs to his room and found Eddie's jacket lying discarded on the stairs, the events of the afternoon fell into place. Ah, so that was why he hadn't been able to get hold of them.

Blushing slightly, he pulled his aunt's bedroom door shut as he passed, having the good sense not to look in, and entered Eddie's room, placing the pile of clothing he had picked up on his way up the stairs (now rather embarrassingly including Rachel's bra) onto the bed, before returning to his own room, shutting the door behind him with a roll of his eyes. Ah well, at least he had been out this time.


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N: I've just scanned through this while I was transferring it across to publish it and come to the conclusion that this chapter contains one of my favourite scenes that I've ever written, makes me smile every time. And having finished being egotistical, I'll give you this :P! x**_

**Chapter 12**

Eddie woke slowly, opening his eyes to find himself in a room he didn't recognise. He blinked, allowing his eyes to focus as he realised that he wasn't alone, and yet the woman in his arms wasn't Melissa, the hair splayed across the pillow next to him auburn rather than blonde. He only knew one person with hair that colour, and with the realisation that it was Rachel sleeping peacefully next to him came the memories from the past few days, causing a contented smile to spread across his face. They were finally here.

He wasn't arguing with her because he thought he should have been given the headship, or trying very hard to deny his feelings and pretend she was just a colleague. He wasn't discovering secrets about her past that she didn't want anyone to know about, and threatening to resign, or trying to get her through the blackmail. He wasn't trying to work out what to do for the best as her past was revealed in front of the entire school and he wasn't, thank God, standing outside the school as flames engulfed it wondering whether he would ever see her alive again. Pulling his mind away from that awful time, he moved further along the history of their relationship. She wasn't pulling away from him, denying what was between them, and he wasn't making the biggest mistake of his life by sleeping with her sister to try and forget that. He wasn't engaged to her sister. Suddenly, the truth of this statement hit him and he grinned, feeling happier than he had in months; his relationship with Melissa was over. He didn't have to feel guilty for loving his fiancé's sister anymore, because said sister was lying here in his arms, happy to be with him. They were together, finally.

Suddenly Rachel yawned, rolling over to face him as her eyes opened, smiling as she saw him lying there, "Morning." she murmured contentedly, shuffling close to kiss him softly. Eddie smiled, "Morning gorgeous."

She laughed, "Not so sure about that this morning, but I'm not going to refuse a compliment!"

Eddie rolled his eyes, "You're always beautiful Rach."

She raised her eyebrows, "Okay, what do you want?"

He grinned, "This." He leant forwards, capturing her lips with his own in a gentle kiss, tender rather than passionate, and a world away from the kisses that had lead them to that bed the previous evening. Rachel smiled against his lips at the memory of the night before, when all they had been able to see was each other… she pulled away abruptly, sitting bolt upright as the realisation struck, "Philip!" she gasped.

Eddie looked at her, "What about… we never picked him up!" he began to laugh, "we never picked him up, poor lad!"

Rachel glared at him, "I don't even know if he got home alright, anything could have happened, oh God, I'm turning into Mel!" She leapt out of bed, walking swiftly to the door, her hand on the doorknob ready to pull it open, when Eddie's voice stopped her.

"Rach, wait a sec! Firstly, you are not and never will be anything like your sister." she turned away again, evidently about to leave, "Hang on! And secondly if Phil is at home, I suspect he would prefer it if you put something on before you went to see him."

Rachel glanced down, blushing as she realised that she had absolutely nothing on, having simply fallen asleep in Eddie's arms following their… _activities_ the previous evening. She turned to him, slightly shame-faced, "Ah, yeah, thanks Eddie." Taking her dressing-gown off the back of the door she put it on, wrapping it tightly around her and glancing down to ensure it was covering her sufficiently before opening the door and walking down the landing to her nephew's room, "Phil?" she called softly, knocking on the door.

"Yeah?" came the somewhat groggy response from inside, causing Rachel to sigh with relief and open the door, stepping inside.

"Oh thank goodness you got home okay, I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me, I completely forgot!" Rachel babbled, caught between a mixture of relief and guilt.

Philip laughed, "Don't worry about it, I just walked back, it's not that far."

Rachel immediately felt worse, it was a reasonable distance and he'd had no option but to walk, the buses didn't run on Sundays and she'd abandoned him, "Oh Phil I'm so sorry, you shouldn't have had to, I was just a little… preoccupied."

Philip turned away, "Yeah Rach, I know, I really don't need you to tell me about it."

Rachel looked at him, incomprehension on her features, trying to work out what he was on about, "Phil… what?"

He still wouldn't look at her, "Your, er, your clothes are in Eddie's room, I didn't want to, er, disturb you."

Rachel blushed scarlet as she realised what he was on about, "Ah. Thanks." She retreated quickly, shutting the door and all but running into her room, her face burning with embarrassment. As she flew through the door and threw herself onto the bed, Eddie looked at her, concerned, "Rach, are you alright? Is Phil alright?"

She raised her head from where it had been buried in the pillows, still bright red as she replied, "He's fine." she paused, before elaborating, "He found our clothes, Eddie, on the stairs!"

Eddie looked confused for a moment, before comprehension dawned and he began to laugh, feeling a little sorry for Philip but finding the whole situation too funny for any other response but laughter. Rachel glared at him, "It's not funny Eddie, he knows that we…" she trailed off, closing her eyes in mortification, "Oh God, I'm never going to be able to face him again!"

Once Rachel had recovered sufficiently she set about getting dressed, a glance at the clock telling her that whilst they weren't running late, they weren't particularly early. Stepping into her en suite bathroom she turned and stuck her head back out the door, calling to Eddie, "I'm just going to hop in the shower, if you felt like making breakfast while I'm in there it would be most appreciated!" Laughing at the incredulous look on his face she shut the door, locking it and stepping into the stream of hot water, grinning to herself. She'd almost forgotten what it was like living with someone else.

Rolling his eyes to himself, Eddie left the room and set off downstairs, automatically obeying Rachel's request even though he knew she hadn't meant it completely seriously. Still, he had nothing better to do while she was in one bathroom and Phil was in the other, and besides, a year and a half of working as her deputy meant he was conditioned to follow her orders. Entering the kitchen, he realised that actually making breakfast might not be as easy as he had expected. They still hadn't replaced the toaster; he thought Rachel had mentioned something about doing it the previous afternoon but they'd been otherwise occupied, and he was well aware that they had run out of eggs the previous morning. Eddie sighed. It looked like he's be attempting the putting the bread in the oven thing.

Reaching up into the cupboard he removed six slices of bread, and then crossed the kitchen to the oven, which he looked at critically for a moment. She'd said she was using the grill, which he normally only used for sausages, but he did at least know how it worked. Well, he knew how it worked on his oven, anyway. Staring at the four knobs, he tried to decipher the collection of squiggly lines and eventually, after turning various ones on and off, managed to make the light in the grill come on. Well, that was a good start. After twisting a couple more knobs, and pressing a small red button, he could feel the grill begin to heat, and smiled triumphantly, placing the bread in. He could do this.

Leaving it to cook (could you cook bread? Eddie wasn't sure, but decided it was unimportant anyway) he crossed the kitchen and switched the kettle on, setting about making them all hot drinks. This bit was easy. Just as he was stirring the last of the three mugs, Eddie smelt a slight burning, and turned swiftly towards the grill to notice a small trail of smoke coming out. Swearing under his breath he grabbed the oven gloves from the side, wrenching the grill open and pulling out the grill-pan, placing it on the side while he turned back to the grill and turned it off. He looked at the toast. Ah well, a bit of charcoal never hurt anyone, and it was only the edges that were burnt (actually, he thought he remembered reading somewhere that charcoal was carcinogenic, but he decided now might be a good time to ignore that fact). Placing the toast onto the three plates, he buttered it and cut it up, placing the plates and drinks onto the table, just as Rachel and Philip entered the kitchen, chatting about what Phil had done at the fair yesterday.

Rachel smiled when she saw that Eddie had made breakfast, crossing the kitchen to hug him, "Thanks! You didn't actually have to you know, I was joking!"

Eddie smiled, "I know, but I figured I might as well help out, I wasn't doing anything!"

Still smiling, they made their way over to the table, sitting down next to Phil, who was examining his toast somewhat suspiciously. Eddie looked quite pleased with himself, "I did it in the grill!" he announced proudly, making Rachel laugh and pat his hand somewhat patronisingly, "Well done Eddie!"

She then picked up her own toast and took a bite, looking somewhat confused and turning it over, laughing as she saw the soft bread on the other side, "Er, Eddie, did you turn the bread while it was in the grill?"

He looked a little confused, "No, why, was I supposed to?"

Rachel held out her piece of toast to him, showing him the way it was only toasted on one side, "Yeah, it doesn't cook through otherwise, but it doesn't really matter, the top is well done enough for both sides!"

Phil laughed, biting down on a particularly blackened corner and making Eddie blush, "I'm sorry, I did try."

Rachel smiled at him, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek, "I know darling, and it was very much appreciated."

Eddie choked on his coffee, "Darling?"

Now it was Rachel's turn to blush, "Sorry, I just…"

Phil interrupted her, laughing, "I think it's sweet." he ducked at Eddie threw a piece of toast at him, causing it to land neatly in the bin, much to Rachel's amusement.

Once they had finally made it out of the house (Eddie had dashed upstairs after breakfast and managed to get ready in ten minutes, while Rachel was stood downstairs shouting for him to hurry up every thirty seconds) and through the drive to school, Rachel pulled into her usual parking space, laughing at Phil as he leapt out of the car and ran off towards his friends, not wanting to be seen hanging around with the headmistress. Rachel then climbed out of the car, followed swiftly by Eddie, locking it before walking off towards school with him, chatting about the weekend they'd just shared. they didn't get far, however, until they met Matt walking in, his eyebrows raised as he approached them, "Arriving together?" the implication was clear, and Rachel rolled her eyes, "Eddie's staying with me for a while to give me a hand with Phil, he did disappear for several hours on Friday and I felt he needed a support network. Is that a problem?"

Matt had the grace to look a little embarrassed and coughed slightly before replying, "Of course not, I'm sorry, how is Philip?"

Rachel smiled, "Much better, thanks for asking."

Matt nodded and hurried off, much to Eddie's amusement, he turned to Rachel, his eyes sparkling with laughter, "Did you have to do that? You've terrified him!"

Rachel merely laughed, "He shouldn't have been prying into our private lives then, should he?"

Eddie laughed too, but then turned more serious, "Rach, if you don't want the staff to know you may have to pull Steph into your office…"

To his surprise, she merely shook her head, "No, I'm trusting her not to tell them, and if she does I'll just deal with it, I'm not going to ask her to lie for me, it wouldn't be fair."

Eddie sighed, "On your head be it."

They had by now reached Rachel's office and Eddie held the door open for her, making her laugh, "Such a gentleman!"

He smiled, "I aim to please!" He followed her into the office, closing the door behind him and crossing the room to where she was stood by the desk, having just placed an armful of files down there. He wrapped his arms around her waist, smiling as she turned to face him and pressing his lips to hers gently. They stayed like that for a few moments before Rachel pulled away, sighing contentedly, "Mmm, what was that for?"

He smiled, tucking her hair gently behind her ear as he replied, "Just because I love you."

Sighing slightly, Rachel pulled away from Eddie and crossed the office, not wanting to get distracted again, "Right, well as wonderful as this is I'd better get going, I've got assembly in five minutes."

Eddie laughed, "No rest for the w…" he caught her glare and quickly amended what he had been going to say, "wonderful! No rest for the wonderful!" They both laughed, Rachel swatting him playfully with a file on her way past, reaching the door before turning back to him, "Oh and Eddie?"

He looked at her, "Yeah."

"Don't creep into the back of the hall like you did on Friday, I completely forgot what I was saying!" she rolled her eyes at herself.

Eddie grinned, "Yeah, I noticed, in fact, I think _everyone_ noticed."

Rachel glared at him, "Yeah well it was your fault anyway, what on earth gave you the idea that thirty seconds before I was due to take an assembly was a good time to tell me you loved me?"

Eddie blushed slightly, "Yeah well I didn't exactly plan it. It just sort of… came out." Rachel smiled, crossing the office to kiss him one last time before she had to leave, before pulling away and actually exiting the office, knowing that staying any longer would be dangerous to her will-power.

Smiling to herself, she strode confidently along the corridor, entering the hall and taking her place at the front, smiling as the room fell silent and beginning the assembly.

Back in her office, Eddie was still stood there, smiling to himself as he thought of all that had happened since she'd last had to rush off to take an assembly, but shaking his head as his thoughts returned to the previous evening; now was neither the time nor the place for that.

Still smiling to himself he left the office, making his way along to the hall and stopping just outside the doors, watching her as she spoke animatedly about something, her eyes alight with enthusiasm which ensured she stayed every single student's point of focus. He shook his head in amazement; he would never understand how she managed to get six hundred teenagers to listen to her for fifteen minutes solid, but she did, and all the staff respected her for it. Realising that she'd spotted him outside the door and yet continued speaking, Eddie decided it was safe to enter, slipping into the back of the hall in much the same way as he had done three days earlier, only this time Rachel simply shot him a small smile and continued her assembly.

He must have been in that office for quite a while, because it wasn't long before she was finishing what she had to say in preparation for dismissing the students. He watched as she asked the other staff for any notices, before speaking again, "Okay, I guess that's it for today then, I just want to remind any year tens doing bronze Duke of Edinburgh, that the practise expedition is _this_ weekend, and you **must** bring all of your stuff in for a kit check on Friday afternoon in preparation. Okay, I think that's everything, you can go off to your lessons now."

Standing back to allow the horde of chattering students to leave, Eddie swore under his breath; he'd completely forgotten about the D of E expedition that weekend, having volunteered for it months ago after lots of begging from Rachel. He knew that quite a few of the staff were going; each group had to have a staff member with them on the first day, but most of the staff would be going home that night. He, however, wouldn't. He couldn't quite remember how, but he had somehow ended up volunteering to stay the night to supervise. Great. Walking all day with a bunch of hormonal teenagers and then sleeping in a tent, fun. The worst thing being that he wouldn't get to see Rachel all weekend. Eddie sighed; life really wasn't on his side!

Just at that moment Rachel appeared next to him, wrapping an arm around his waist and causing him to glance around in surprise, only to realise that they were now alone, everyone having left while he was lamenting his luck. Oblivious to his dark mood, Rachel smiled up at him, "Looking forwards to this weekend then?"

Eddie glared at her, "Are you joking? It's bad enough having to deal with this lot Monday to Friday, never mind at the weekend as well!"

Rachel looked a little saddened, "Oh come on Eddie, it won't be that bad, and besides, I need you there to help me keep the mob under control!"

Eddie's eyes lit up and he grinned suddenly, "You're coming?"

Rachel looked somewhat confused, "Of course I'm coming, I organised it!"

Eddie smiled, pulling her closer to him and kissing her on the top of her head; the weekend just got a whole lot better!

Ten minutes later, Rachel found herself back in her office, staring dejectedly at the mountain of paperwork sat on her desk; she was sure Eddie had meant it when he'd offered to help her with it the previous morning, and she'd certainly intended to get it done that night, but in the event she'd been doing… well, something else. Rachel couldn't help the small smile that spread across her face at the thought of that 'something else', or, more to the point, some_one_ else, but pulled herself out of her thoughts with a sigh, returning her focus to the pile of paperwork in front of her. There was a reason she always worked over the weekend.

Over the other side of the school, Eddie was writing algebraic equations on the board for what seemed like the hundredth time, "Okay, so who can tell me how I'd solve this?" a sea of blank faces stared back at him, and he resisted the urge to hit his head against the desk, hard. He really hated year 11 revision sessions. Scanning the class for someone who might know the answer, he was somewhat concerned to see Philip looking somewhat uncomfortable as Bolton and Paul questioned him about something. Straining his ears, he was just about able to catch snippets of their conversation;

"Come on Phil, we're your mates, you can tell us!" That was Bolton, the smile on his face suggesting he was enjoying this. Phil stayed silent, looking down at the desk as Bolton continued, "come on, Janeece says she saw them arrive together this morning, it's not as if everyone doesn't know already."

Phil looked up suddenly, seeming angry as his hissed his reply to the boys, "Look he's just staying with Rach for a while, he was pretty cut up about Mum leaving like that, so can you just stop going on about it?"

Realising what this was about, Eddie decided it was time to step in, "Everything alright boys?" They all looked at him, seeming surprised and, in Bolton's case, a little embarrassed that he was stood so close, realising he had probably overheard their conversation. Eddie pointed at the equation on the board, "Okay, so would one of you like to solve that then."

There was silence for a moment, before Philip sighed and spoke up, "You have to multiply the two denominators together and then the numerators by the opposite denominators and then you can add the two fractions together and solve it as a normal equation."

Eddie nodded, "Good, so we end up with three X minus Y, multiplied by six X plus three…"

Philip tuned out; he'd understood this topic the first time around and could have solved the equation on the board in less than a minute given a pen and a piece of paper; it wasn't difficult. No, he had much bigger worries than that equation; Bolton and Paul had been on at him all day to tell them what the deal was with Eddie and his aunt, and he got the impression that as many times as he lied for them the rumours were going to continue. He sighed softly to himself; the irony of the situation being that if he was just to come out and tell everyone that, yes, their head and deputy were, as Bolton had put it 'having it off', the rumours wouldn't get all that much worse, and he would possibly stop being badgered by everyone about it. But, of course, he wouldn't, because he knew that Rachel would want people finding out on her terms, and he respected that. He rolled his eyes, returning his attention to the front of the room. It looked like he'd be putting up with the questions for a while yet.

As the lesson finally came to a close and Eddie dismissed the class Phil hung behind, intentionally taking longer to pack up his things, well aware that the chances of someone waiting behind for him were almost non-existent, walking over to Eddie once the last class member had left, "They don't believe me, you know. I don't really know what to say."

Eddie smiled, patting him on the shoulder in a somewhat fatherly way, "Don't worry about it Phil, whether they believe you or not isn't your problem, I'm sorry Rachel and I are making you lie."

Philip just shrugged, "It's not really lying, and it's not as if I actually give a dam what those two think of me anyway."

Eddie grinned, "Good boy."

Phil, who had turned to leave, turned back to him, glaring, "If you _ever_ refer to me as a 'good boy' again, you'll find more photos of your slightly dodgy past turning up."

Eddie laughed, "I don't think there are that many more," he trailed off momentarily, "how _did_ you get hold of that photo by the way?"

Phil looked a little confused, "You emailed it to mum, didn't you?"

Eddie laughed incredulously, "She showed you?"

Phil frowned, giving him an 'are-you-a-complete-and-utter-idiot' look, "No, but I overheard you laughing about it so I hacked into her email account to see what all the fuss was about." He smiled, leaving the room, "See you Eddie."

Eddie suddenly remembered some _other_ emails he'd sent Mel while they were together. He blushed, hoping Phil hadn't found those ones.

Rachel smiled as she heard the bell ring for break-time, putting her pen down and stretching, well aware that Eddie would be with her within the next few minutes. She sighed contentedly at the thought, automatically smoothing down her hair in preparation. When she heard the knock on her door, she grinned, calling out, "Come in!" cheerfully and glancing at the clock; not bad, break had only started one minute ago! Looking back at the door her smile faltered slightly before she fixed back in place, unable to help the small wave of disappointment that the appearance of her head of French invoked. Steph, as perceptive as ever, smiled gently, "Sorry Rachel, I'm sure he'll be here in a minute."

Rachel blushed, "I'm that obvious?"

Steph laughed, coming into the office and sitting down, not bothering to wait for invitation, "Only to someone who knows you're together."

Rachel looked somewhat awkward, "Ah, yes, about that…"

Steph cut her off, smiling, "My lips are sealed. I may be a bit of a gossip Rachel, but I wouldn't pass on something you'd told me in confidence." Suddenly she broke into an amused grin, "you scared the living daylights out of Matt this morning though, he came to me babbling on about having made insensitive comments without thinking and how he'd really offended you, he thinks I've come over here to smooth things over!"

Rachel laughed, "Ah, yeah, maybe I came across a little strongly, I'll have to have a word, make up some excuse about being stressed or something." She glanced at the still-large pile of paperwork, "not that that would be too much of a lie! Anyway, why did you really come to see me, other than my amazing company of course?" Even as she laughed along with Steph at that last comment, Rachel found herself wondering quite how she had become so relaxed with the other woman so quickly; only three days earlier she would have counted her as one of her least favourite members of staff, and yet here they were, laughing and joking like old friends. She supposed stressful situations really did pull people together, and Friday had definitely been that.

She was pulled out of her musings by Steph's reply; "I just wanted to know how Phil was, and more to the point, how you are?"

Rachel smiled at the concern, "He's fine, he was a bit of a mess when we first picked him up but I think the weekend's really helped." she paused, sighing slightly as she thought of all she'd discovered that weekend, and when she raised her eyes back up to Steph's they were glistening with tears, "I don't think he'd even been able to be a child before, Steph."

The blonde sighed, reaching across the desk to take Rachel's hand comfortingly, "Well it's lucky you're there to give him that now then, isn't it?"

Rachel smiled, "Yeah, I guess so."

Steph looked at her critically, "And what about you, how are you bearing up?"

Rachel couldn't help but grin, "Oh I'm better than I've been in a long time." She laughed, "It seems odd when you consider all that's happened recently, but I've just spent the weekend watching Phil really come out of himself, and with the man I lo…" she caught herself, blushing, "And with Eddie." She finished, somewhat lamely, staring down at the desk in embarrassment.

Steph just laughed, "You can say it you know; we've all known it for months!"

Rachel looked up, her expression horrified, "What do you mean?" she paused momentarily as Steph's words sunk in, "I thought I was being subtle!" The laughter that echoed around the office suggested that she perhaps hadn't been as subtle as she had thought.

As Steph composed herself Rachel looked down at the desk in embarrassment, although unable to hide the grin on her face that came with the knowledge that, however much her colleagues knew about her feelings for her deputy, it didn't change the fact that those feelings were very much returned. Looking up to meet Steph's gaze she laughed slightly at herself, "Well, you know, at least I was…"

But exactly what she was was never discovered, as Eddie came striding into the room at that particular moment, smiling to himself, "Hi Rach, oh, Steph."

Rachel glared at him, "Eddie! Have you ever heard of knocking? Steph and I could have been… having a private moment."

Steph's eyebrows shot up, "Er, Rachel, I'm afraid I don't feel that way about you." Rachel simply looked at her, confusion clouding her face as the two other occupants of the room burst out laughing, "Wha…" she suddenly got it, rolling her eyes at their immaturity, "Oh yes very funny you two, you know what I meant!"

Eddie looked at her, "That you're leaving me for Steph?" he started laughing again, as Steph picked up the teasing, "that you'd like me to send Eddie away and lock the door?"

Eddie grinned, "that I'm wasting my time loving you?"

Rachel gasped, looking indignant, "Are you saying you wouldn't love me if I was gay? You'd let a little thing like that get in the way?"

Eddie laughed, "Whether or not I'd still love you is beside the point really, unless I decided to get a sex change."

Steph giggled, looking him up and down, "I think you'd make a good woman. Edwina!"

Rachel began laughing as well then, clutching at Steph for support as the two doubled over, tears streaming down their faces as they continued to cackle. Eddie looked at them, slightly worried, "Have you two been drinking?"

Trying to calm her breathing, Rachel looked up at him from where she was now sat on the floor, "No, it's just…" she trailed off momentarily, giggling, before managing to compose herself again, "sorry, it's just, the idea of you as a girl!" She continued laughing, turning her attention back to Steph, and causing Eddie to lose his patience. After all, break wasn't very long, and when he'd made his way over to her office being laughed at wasn't what he was planning. Reaching down, he pulled both women to their feet before placing his hands on Steph's shoulders, pushing her across the room and out of the office.

"What? Eddie, let me go!" She protested, craning her head to mouth 'what on earth' at Rachel, who merely shrugged.

Eddie looked at her, "Steph, there is ten minutes left of break and I plan to make the most of it. Now, if you wouldn't mind leaving the room…"

Comprehension dawned, and Steph rolled her eyes, "Okay okay I'm going, have fun you two, remember to be safe!" And she was gone, running off down the corridor, still laughing to herself.

Eddie shut the door, turning to face Rachel and finding that she had crossed the room, bringing them face to face. Lifting a hand, he wiped the tears of laughter from her cheeks before resting a hand on the back of her neck, drawing her in for a tender kiss. Rachel smiled, pulling away, "I love you Edwina."

Eddie was suddenly _very_ glad he had a good way of shutting her up…


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N: Right, this is probably the last chapter for a couple of days; I'm off to Brighton tomorrow, so enjoy, and I'll be back on Friday :D x**_

**Chapter 13**

When the bell for the end of break rang, Rachel and Eddie were still stood in the same spot, wrapped in each other's arms. Sighing, Eddie pulled away, causing Rachel to look at him, a slight disappointment clouding her face, "Do you have a lesson now?" Eddie nodded, stroking her hair back from her face before stepping away, wanting to remove himself from temptation as much as possible. He smiled at her, "I'll be thinking of you though."

Rachel grinned, rolling her eyes, "You're one big cliché Mr Lawson, I hope you realise that!"

He laughed, "Yeah but you love me for it."

Rachel sighed happily, "Yeah, I guess I do, but I'd love you even more if you went and did what I pay you for!"

Eddie rolled his eyes, slipping out of the door and muttering something which sounded suspiciously like 'slave-driver' under his breath as he left.

Rachel raised her eyebrows, "I heard that!"

"Come on, you can tell us."

"It's not like we're going to tell anyone."

"Yeah, we'll keep it a secret"

"Come on, we're your mates, aren't we?"

"Or are you too busy playing 'happy families' now?"

"Yeah, did you all plan it together?"

"I mean, I wouldn't blame you, I would have too if I had your mum."

"Yeah, I bet you drove her away on purpose."

"Much happier now, aren't you?"

"Come on, just tell us."

Phil clenched his fists, taking a deep breath, focusing on his memories of the picnic on Saturday to prevent him doing anything stupid. These boys, David and Michael, they didn't know what they were saying, they were just trying to get a rise out of him. Phil raised his eyes from where they had been focussed firmly on the floor, "There's nothing to tell." He turned, trying to leave, Michael's hand on his shoulder stopping him, turning him again.

"Come on, we know there is."

"Everyone's talking about it."

"I mean, it's not as if you can really blame him."

"Yeah, I mean she was probably offering it on a plate."

"Yeah, once a whore always a..."

Philips fist connected with David's nose, causing the other boy to stumble backwards, looking shocked. He narrowed his eyes, "Don't you ever say that again."

It was Michael who responded this time, "Or what, you'll hit him again? You going to hit everyone, you know they're all thinking it."

When he had hit David, it had been calculated, some sense remaining. Now, Phil just saw red, throwing himself at Michael, lashing out. It wasn't particularly effective, fighting had never really been something he was any good at, but at that moment in time Philip really didn't care, he just wanted to inflict as much pain as possible.

"What on earth's going on?" Eddie's voice came down the corridor, and Phil found himself being pulled away from Michael as Tom, who had appeared from somewhere, restrained the other boy. Eddie looked down at him in disbelief, "Philip?"

There was a moment of silence, and then Eddie sighed, "Well I think we'd better get you two," he spotted David, holding his bloody nose, "three, to Miss Mason's office."

Philip turned, looking worried, "No."

Eddie raised his eyebrows, "What did you just say?"

Phil looked at the floor, realising he was going to have to confess all if he would have any hope of keeping this from his aunt, "Eddie, she's going to want to know why I hit him."

Eddie looked a little bewildered, "Well yes Phil, so do I."

Philip sighed, "She doesn't need to hear that."

Eddie looked at him, frowning, "Phil, I realise that it's not ideal at the moment, with you two living together, but she's still your headmistress."

David sneered at him. Philip just ignored him, looking at Eddie, a sense of urgency in his tone, "No, Eddie, you don't understand. What they were saying, I don't want her to have to hear that."

Realisation dawned, and Eddie sighed, loosening his grip on Phil's shoulders absent-mindedly as he tried to work out how best to deal with the situation, "Okay," he looked at Tom, "Right, let's go straight to the cooler," he looked around, spotting Steph stood nearby, "Steph, do you have a class now?"

The blonde shook her head, "No, do you want me to go distract Rachel?"

Eddie sighed, "No, could you cover my year eights while I sort these three out? They're in T7."

Steph nodded, walking off and leaving the small group alone. Eddie looked at the boys, "Okay, cooler, now."

The journey to the cooler passed in silence, Eddie and Phil walking side by side followed by Tom with Michael and David, who were muttering to each other under their breath, causing him to shoot them warning looks.

When they reached their destination Philip pushed open the door, going to sit on the far side of the room closest to the window, inwardly berating himself for losing his temper. If he'd just kept calm, walked away, then they wouldn't have to be trying to keep this from Rachel now. He thought of her that morning, laughing with them at the kitchen table, and hoped desperately that she wouldn't find out. She didn't deserve those things being said about her, and he knew her well enough to know that she'd take them straight to heart. He sighed, watching as David and Michael were ushered into the room by Eddie, who paused to say something to Tom before entering, closing the door behind him.

There was a moment of silence as Eddie surveyed the boys, trying to calm himself before speaking. It was imperative he kept a clear head for this, he couldn't let his personal feelings for Rachel get in the way. He couldn't help the surge of anger though as David muttered something to Michael, making him snicker and causing Eddie to grip the desk in front of him, suddenly understanding exactly how Philip had come to be fighting with these boys in the middle of the corridor.

"David, go and sit over there." he gestured to a seat over the other side of the room from Michael, but far enough away from Philip to avoid any problems. The boy rose silently, moving intentionally slowly and throwing himself down into the seat, fixing Eddie with a slightly smug look. Eddie simply looked away, glancing over at Phil with a little concern, noticing the dejected look on his face. He sighed, knowing now was not the time to ask him if he was okay, and turned his attention to the two other boys in the room, "Okay, would you like to explain yourselves?"

David, obviously the leader of the two, looked up, "What? Sir, Phil hit me, and Michael, it's him you should be talkin' to!"

Eddie simply looked at him, "Yes, and I will speak to him later, but right now I'm asking you two to explain _why_ Philip hit you."

David glared insolently at him, "Well you'll have to ask him that, won't you?"

Eddie paused for a moment, calming his rapidly flaring temper before he replied. Now he remembered why Rachel usually dealt with this kind of thing, "I have, and he's said it was in response to comments you were making. Would you like to explain to me quite why you felt it was your place to talk about your headmistress like that?"

Michael snickered, "Well, we was only sayin' what everyone else has been thinking, weren't we?"

Philip looked up from where he had been sat in silence, sounding outraged, "That's not true, if people had been thinking it don't you think they'd have used it as ammunition against me before now? They've used every other aspect of my life to taunt me with, the fact that you two are the first people to say it is because no one else had been thinking it!"

Eddie gasped felt himself go slightly cold at words, having had no idea that his problems at school had got to that point. Still, he knew he needed to remain impartial right now, "Yes, okay Phil, thanks," he turned his attention back to the two boys, "I wasn't asking about everyone else, I was asking about you."

David sighed, apparently having tired of this game, "We didn't do anything wrong sir."

Eddie looked at him, frowning, "How on earth did you work that one out?"

David looked at him, smirking slightly, "You can't punish us for stating a fact. Miss Mason was a whore, wasn't she?"

Eddie slammed his hand down on the desk, fuming, "Miss Mason's past has absolutely nothing to do with you, or this school, and it is entirely unacceptable to bring it up in an attempt to hurt her, or anyone close to her."

Michael smirked at him, "What like you you mean sir?"

David laughed, "Yeah, we were sayin' earlier just how _close_ you two have been getting."

Michael picked up the taunts, "She makin' you pay for it sir, or givin' it to you for free?"

A deathly silence fell over the room, and David and Michael looked at each other, realising that they'd stepped way over the line, before glancing back at the outraged face of their deputy head. Phil gulped, wondering whether he needed to step in and prevent Eddie doing something he'd really regret. To his relief however, Eddie merely shook his head with disgust, "I'm not listening to this."

He turned and strode out the room, pulling to door open… to reveal Rachel stood on the other side, seemingly frozen to the spot, an expression of anguish on her face.

Eddie grabbed the door handle, instinctively pulling it shut behind him before stepping forwards, placing a hand on her shoulder, "Rach…" Her gaze focused on him, seeming surprised to find him there, although the surprise was quickly replaced with pain again as David's words span around and around in her head 'Miss Mason was a whore…'

Eddie stepped closer to her, trying to pull her out of her trance, "Rach, just ignore them, they were just trying to get a rise out of Phil and I."

She looked up at him, seeing the love in his eyes as he drew her closer to him, trying to comfort her, but she shook her head, pulling away, "I can't do this." She whispered desperately, biting her tongue in an attempt to stop the tears that she could feel building from leaving her eyes, gesturing towards the door, "Deal with them, Eddie,"

He looked confused, "Rach, they can wait, right now I'm more worried about you."

She shook her head again, a solitary tear escaping and sliding down her cheek, only to be wiped away angrily with a swipe of her hand, "Please, Eddie, just deal with them." And then she turned, striding towards her office as fast as she could on her heels in a way that was painfully reminiscent of the last time her past had been called into question so publically, somehow managing to reach her destination and flying inside, slipping the lock into place before collapsing against the door, struggling to keep her breathing even as the tears slid down her face, wondering how it was she'd ever thought that they could have forgiven her.

Eddie stood still, staring at the place where she'd been stood only moments earlier and fighting the strong impulse to run after her. No, she'd asked him to stay, he couldn't deny her that, whatever his personal feelings she was still his boss, he had to do this for her. Sighing, he re-entered the room, causing David to scuttle back to his seat from where he had been whispering to Michael. Suddenly, he felt tired. Only a few minutes earlier he'd wanted to yell at them for saying things like that about Rachel, but now he just wanted them to disappear, be dealt with so that he could go and comfort her.

Spotting Phil looking at him worriedly, he suddenly realised that she had only asked him to stay behind. He knew that she wasn't expecting him to send anyone else after her, but right now, when she was worried about the students' perception of her, maybe Phil was the only one who could get through to her. Crossing the room he crouched down next to him, allowing him to speak without being overheard by the other boys, "Phil, Rachel was outside the room." he watched the boys face crumple, giving him a moment to compose himself before continuing, "I think she heard everything, but she wouldn't listen, she's run off to her office. I think you should go and talk to her, see if you can get through to her."

Philip looked up at him, shocked, "Me?" he hissed, all two aware of David and Michael trying to listen in, "Eddie, I caused this, it'll be you she wants at the moment."

Eddie shook his head sadly, "She wouldn't let me Phil, she made me promise to stay and deal with these two. And you didn't cause this, don't go beating yourself up," seeing Philip about to interrupt, he shook his head, "No, it's happened now, we just have to try and deal with it. Please Phil, she needs you."

Sighing, Philip nodded, "Okay, I'll try." He rose, walking out of the room and closing the door behind him, once again cursing himself for not keeping his temper.

The journey to Rachel's office suddenly seemed much shorter than it ever had before, and Phil found himself at her door much sooner than he was ready to be there. For a moment, he considered just walking away, telling Eddie she had sent him away, which was almost certainly what was going to happen anyway. But then the sound of sobbing reached his ears, and his decision was made. Stepping forwards, he knocked lightly on the door, not waiting for a response before he called through, "Rach, it's Phil."

He could hear her sniffing, probably trying to pretend she hadn't been crying, before her voice reached him, shaking slightly, "Phil… it isn't really a good time right now. Can you talk to me later?"

He sighed, "Rach, I was in the cooler, I came to see if you were alright."

There was silence for a moment, and then he could hear the click of the lock being disengaged and the door opened, Rachel hastily trying to wipe away her tears as she let him in, "You better come in then."

Philip entered the office, trying not to notice the fact that Rachel locked the door again as soon as he was inside, or the fact that she wouldn't meet his eyes. There was silence for a moment, neither person entirely sure what to say, before Phil noticed quite how much his aunt was shaking. He sighed, placing a hand hesitantly on her arm, the situation made all the more difficult by the fact that, at that particular moment in time, she was his headmistress. When she didn't pull away, he attempted to steer her towards the sofa, "Sit down, Rach."

She did pull away from him then, crossing the room and sitting on the sofa, attempting a watery smile as he sat next to her, "I'm fine Phil, really."

Phil resisted the urge to roll his eyes, opting for sighing instead, "No Rach, you're not, but you really shouldn't be worried about those two; they're all talk. I don't think they meant it, they just wanted to know what's going on between you and Eddie, and I wouldn't tell them. They only said those things to wind me up."

She looked at him, the tears spilling over again as she took a deep, shuddering breath before replying, "Why did they repeat them then, to Eddie?"

Phil sighed, "Because they could see that the knowledge that they'd been insulting you was affecting him, and they wanted to try and push him into saying something they could report back to the rest of the student population. They're just looking for gossip Rach, that's all it is."

She looked away from him, an edge of anger to her voice, "why would they drag all of that up just for some gossip?"

There was a pause, and when Phil spoke next there was an edge of resentment to his voice, "because that's what they do, Rach, because knowing something like that makes you popular, and people will do an awful lot for popularity." She didn't reply, so Phil continued, sounding slightly desperate now, "it wasn't just you Rach, it was just those comments that made me snap, they'd already gone on about mum, and Eddie, I think it was just a last resort to get a reaction."

She raised her eyes to his, barely able to believe that she needed her fifteen-year-old nephew to explain these things to her, "Phil, I need you to tell me honestly, are they the only ones saying those things? Or does it always get brought up?"

He looked at her, "Rach, if people said that sort of thing regularly, do you think I'd have lost my temper like that today? It was because it was the first time I'd heard someone refer to you like that, and I couldn't stand it."

Rachel bit her lip, looking away, not wanting Phil to see the fresh tears that rolled down her face at his kind words, instead attempting to revert to headmistress, "You shouldn't have hit them though Phil, you know that, violence is never the answer." She was expecting an apology, and assurance that it would never happen again. Instead, she heard her nephew sigh beside her, "Rach, please, I'm trying to help. Let me help, please."

She turned to him, her expression surprised, but touched. She opened her mouth to reply, but could find no words, instead opting for throwing her arms around him, causing Phil to pat her rather awkwardly on the back, not used to such displays of physical affection. Finally, she pulled back, her eyes still red but her expression much happier, "Thanks, Phil."

He smiled, "You're welcome, although I don't think I'm overly good at the hitting people thing."

She laughed, although the sound was somewhat strained with the complicated mix of emotions she was feeling at that moment, "No, I'd really rather you didn't go around hitting people. I meant," she gestured between them, "For coming up here, checking on me," she paused, "it means a lot."

Philip blushed, turning away somewhat awkwardly, "That's okay" he muttered uncomfortably, jumping up at the sound of footsteps outside the door, glancing through the window to see Eddie and unlocking the door to let him in. Rachel smiled to herself; no matter what else was going on, teenage boys never changed.


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N: Guess who's back? Hey, guys, why are you all running away… guys? On a more serious note, thanks for the reviews of the last couple of chapters, they've filtered through to me while I was away and made me smile, as well as reminding me of some good times. On that note, this chapter is for everyone I knew/know from waterloo road forums, I'm not over there anymore but I had some fab times there. SO, here you go:**_

**Chapter 14**

As Eddie stepped inside the door, Philip slipped out, feeling that the two adults would probably appreciate some time alone, and secretly glad to have an excuse to escape from the slightly awkward situation of a few moments earlier. As the door clicked shut behind him, Eddie had already crossed the room, sitting on the sofa next to Rachel and pulling her into his arms, smiling slightly as he felt her settle herself comfortably against his chest.

They sat there in silence for a few moments, until the lack of conversation made Eddie nervous, "Rach, you okay?"

She looked up at him, "Yeah, I think so," she sighed, "thanks for sending Phil up by the way; I assume that was your doing?"

Eddie smiled, "Yeah, I thought he might be able to help."

She snuggled closer to him, "Hmm, he did."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, Eddie absent-mindedly stroking her hair as she relaxed against him, allowing his warm embrace to comfort and reassure her, before suddenly sitting up bolt upright, a slightly panicked expression on her face, "Eddie! You have a class!"

He laughed a the expression on her face, "It's okay Rach, Steph's covering for me; she was around when the fight broke out. There's only ten minutes left now anyway, I might as well stay up here with you."

She smiled slightly, turning to him shaking her head, "Sorry, I should have known you'd have sorted it." she paused, "But why get Steph to cover, why not just let Steph deal with it."

Eddie looked slightly awkward, glancing at the floor, "Yeah, well, I thought one of us should deal it, that's the normal policy on fighting."

She looked a little confused, "Well of course, but I was only in my…" she trailed off as realisation dawned, looking him in the eye, "you weren't going to tell me."

Eddie bit his lip, shooting her an apologetic look, "I'm sorry, there just seemed no real need and I thought you'd be busy." It was a lame excuse even to his own ears, and he wasn't surprised when Rachel rolled her eyes;

"Eddie, you've dragged me out of meetings to deal with things before," she paused momentarily, "admittedly it's normally quite a relief, but that's beside the point. Don't pretend it was a coincidence that it was _this_ incident that you didn't tell me about."

Eddie sighed, looking away from her, "Look, Rach, I'm sorry, I know it was unprofessional of me…" she placed a finger on his lips, effectively silencing him, "oh sshh Eddie, I think it was sweet," she settled herself back in his arms looking up at him, "thank you, for trying to look after me."

He smiled at her, leaning down to kiss her tenderly on the lips, "I'll always look after you, Rach."

She smiled back, looking up at him and laughing slightly, "you're so soppy Eddie, you know that?"

He grinned, "Would saying 'only where you're involved' be considered too much of a cliché?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, laughing, "Yes, it would."

Eddie sighed in mock disappointment, "Okay then."

There was a moment of silence before Rachel turned to him again, her expression more serious, "What did you do about the boys in the end?"

Eddie sighed for real now, looking frustrated, "I gave them a warning and a couple of weeks' detention; there's not really much more I could do, not without being in danger of showing favouritism, even if it is towards the headmistress!"

Rachel laughed, "Well, I would hope that you're not too worried about that."

Eddie looked confused, "Why?"

Rachel smiled, "Because I would hope that your students don't get to do this…" she leant forwards, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him softly, feeling his hand tangle in her hair as he deepened the kiss before pulling away, breathless. Eddie smiled, "No. That, Miss Mason, is reserved solely for you."

She grinned, "Glad to hear it!" Settling herself back into his arms, Rachel sighed contentedly, closing her eyes as she breathed in the scent of the man she loved so much, resting her head on his chest. Eddie tightened his arms around her, still marvelling at the fact that he was allowed to be this close to her, before he remembered the other thing he'd meant to talk to her about. He sighed, "Rach?"

She didn't move, staying in her comfortable position, "Mmm?"

He smiled slightly at the half response, before ploughing on with the issue at hand, "We need to talk about Phil."

She opened her eyes then, sitting up slightly so she could look at him, "Oh I know I'll have to give him a warning about the fighting, but I really don't think it's going to happen again. And besides, it sounds like those boys were really pushing him."

Eddie looked away, sighing, "That wasn't what I meant."

Rachel looked at him, confused, "What? He hasn't done anything else has he?"

Eddie looked back at her then, shaking his head, "No, no of course he hasn't. But…" he paused, "I suppose it might be nothing…"

Rachel looked at him sharply, "Tell me." she demanded, her eyes concerned.

Eddie sighed, "When we were talking to those boys, one of them said… well it doesn't matter what they said, but Phil replied that he knew that no-one else was talking about you like that because it hadn't been used against him, when every other aspect of his life had, or something along those lines."

Rachel bit her lip, turning away from him. There was silence for a moment, before Rachel spoke, her voice a worried whisper, "He's being bullied, Eddie."

It was a statement, but Eddie nodded anyway, "I think so." He said softly, watching her carefully, not wanting to distress her again so soon after such an emotional ordeal.

She looked at him then, her expression vulnerable, "What do I do, Eddie? As a headmistress I should question him about it and try and sort it out, punish those involved, but as his aunt I know that that won't necessarily make things better, and don't want to make him talk about it if he doesn't want to."

He pulled her close again, relieved when she let him, speaking softly and reassuringly, "Don't bring it up at school as his headmistress then. Wait until we're at home and comfortable, and ask him about it gently, let him tell you if he wants."

She nodded, relaxing into his arms, wondering how on earth she could have failed to notice her nephew getting bullied at her own school.

They sat in silence for a while, as Rachel tried to get her head around what she had been told, just glad to have Eddie's support to help her through. Eddie was longing to ask her whether she was okay, but the faraway look in her eyes suggested she needed some time to herself, and he was aware that if he pushed her she would likely shut him out. Right now, holding her in his arms, he could at least feel like he was helping in some small way.

Finally, she turned to him, her eyes still glistening slightly with unshed tears but her expression resigned, she sighed deeply before speaking, "Well, I'll just have to deal with it."

Eddie shook his head, reaching out a hand to stroke her hair gently back from her face, making her smile slightly, "No Rachel, **we'll** deal with it. Together. I promised to come and help you with Phil, and whilst I may have had a slightly ulterior motive," he winked at her, making her giggle, "that promise still stands. I'll help you every step of the way." He paused momentarily, looking thoughtful, "just promise me one thing."

She looked at him, confused, "What?"

Eddie laughed slightly, "If we have to do _The Talk_, it's your job!"

Rachel raised her eyebrows, "Oh is it now? If it does come up, don't you think it would be better 'man to man'?"

Eddie shook his head, "I love you Rach, but not that much!"

She turned away, smirking slightly but purposefully hiding her expression from him, putting a slight quaver in her voice, "I thought you said you'd help, Eddie. This is going to be hard, I can't have to just helping out with the easy bits."

Alarmed at the tone of her voice, and inwardly cursing himself for upsetting her again, Eddie leant forwards, placing his hands on her shoulders and leaning down to speak directly into her ear, "I was joking Rach, I will help with whatever you need me to, and if that's it, then I'll do it, I'd just prefer not to!"

She pulled away from him again, shaking her hair to cover to face in an attempt to hide the smile that his last words had caused, wanting to keep up the pretence for a little longer. This time when she spoke, the shake in her voice was real, but caused by his proximity rather than painful emotions, "We all have to do things we don't want to Eddie, particularly for people we care about."

Getting increasingly desperate Eddie reached for her again, trying to pull her back into his arms, worried when she remained where she was. He leant forwards once again, nudging her hair out of the way with his nose and whispering softly into her ear, "I care about you more than anything Rachel, and I would do anything to help you out, I thought you knew that." She was silent, and he planted a series of gentle kisses along the back of her neck, leaning up to whisper in her other ear, "I love you, so much, please don't block me out, not now. I'm going to be there, every second that you need me, I promise."

Now crying genuinely from his heartfelt words, Rachel turned, kissing him gently on the lips, a kiss that swiftly became more passionate as he pulled her to him, feeling her shiver in his arms as he deepened the kiss. Finally, after several long moments, Rachel pulled away, breathless, her cheeks still wet from the tears she had shed moments earlier but beaming, "You are a wonderful man Eddie Lawson, do you know that?"

He simply looked saddened, reaching out to dry her cheek with his thumb, "I made you cry."

She smiled, reaching up to cover his hand with her own, "Happy tears, Eddie, happy tears."

He looked confused, "But before, you were upset, you turned away from me," his expression suddenly changed, comprehension dawning, "you were acting, weren't you? You weren't upset at all!" She laughed, answering his question, Eddie looked outraged, "I was so worried!"

Rachel grinned, "It was worth it for your reaction!"

Eddie grabbed her shoulders, standing so that he could throw her gently on to the sofa, tickling her, "I'll get you back for that!"

Rachel squealed, "Eddie! Get off me, we're in my office, the door's unlock…"

But at that moment his lips descended onto hers, silencing her and making all coherent thought to leave her as she wrapped her arms around him, causing him to fall on top of her.

The door was still unlocked. Fortunately, no-one came looking for Rachel or Eddie for quite some time. Which was lucky, because if they had, the school really would have been full of 'scared and traumatised kids'.

Thankfully, Steph hadn't had a class fourth period, and had therefore hung around to cover Eddie's next lesson as well, assuming he was still sorting out the boys or, God forbid, consoling Rachel if by some cruel twist of fate she had found out. It was a mark of how close she'd got the Rachel over the last few days that when he appeared at the door, looking slightly sheepish and with a crooked tie, she slipped quickly out of the classroom to straighten it up for him and tease him a little before letting him in. As she walked away, heading towards Rachel's office to see how she was (although from what she'd just seen and heard from Eddie she wasn't too distraught) she realised that just a few weeks ago she'd have made some loud comment within earshot of the class, or at the very least spread the gossip among the other teachers, but now, doing that just seemed cruel. Rachel had been through a lot recently, and had her life laid open for all to see too many times, it didn't seem fair to be the one to do that again.

Shaking herself out of her rather uncharacteristic thoughts, she knocked on the door; wanting to be sure Rachel was at least dressed before entering. When the cheery 'come in' sounded from inside she smiled, pushing the door open and entering, slightly surprised to find Rachel sat at her desk, perfectly neat, looking for all the world as though she'd just spent the last hour or so working hard. Steph raised her eyebrows, "Good cover-up."

Rachel looked confused, "What?"

Steph laughed, "Eddie just appeared outside his class looking less-than composed and having missed half his lesson. It doesn't take a genius to work it out!"

Rachel blushed, glancing down at her desk, "I'm sorry, we left you covering…"

Steph cut her off with a wave of her hand, "Forget about it, it's not like I had anything better to do!"

There was silence for a moment, as Rachel stared at Steph with a curious expression, almost as though she was trying to work something out. Steph frowned, "What?"

Rachel sighed, "I just wondered whether you could give me some advice about something."

Steph looked at her, a slight concern showing in her eyes, "Of course, what is it?"

Rachel took a deep breath, almost steadying herself, "It's Phil. He said something to Eddie earlier that makes it pretty clear he's being bullied. Quite badly too, by the sound of it." Steph sighed, shaking her head slightly, as Rachel continued, "The thing is, I don't think he meant us to find out, he was only saying it to defend me," Steph looked at her, confused. Rachel simply shook her head, "Don't worry, it's a long story. Anyway, the point is that I really want to help, I can't stand the thought of him being miserable, but I'm not sure he's going to want to talk about it." She paused, "More to the point, I'm not sure he's going to want to talk to **me** about it. We're getting on really well considering everything that's happened, but the fact remains that he's only been living with me four days, and I'm not his mother." She sighed, "I don't know how to handle this."

Steph was silent for a moment, her expression thoughtful, before she turned her eyes back to Rachel, "I don't know, to be totally honest, but it's a very personal thing, how he needs it to be dealt with. If he said it in defence of you, why don't you start there, thanking him for it, and then throw in a casual question about what he meant?" she shrugged somewhat helplessly, "But to be totally honest I'm as clueless as you are; Maxine's not exactly the sort to get bullied!"

Both women laughed, Rachel relaxing slightly as the conversation moved away from Phil's problems, and into more comfortable territory. She still didn't understand quite how she trusted Steph so implicitly so quickly, but she somehow instinctively knew she could. As she thought about the day, she realised that the fact her and Eddie's fledgling relationship was still a secret from the staff, proved that her trust was not misplaced.

After Steph had disappeared off again to go and have her lunch, Rachel was left alone in her office, listening to the sound of the students laughing outside her window and wishing Eddie wasn't on cooler duty this lunch; she'd got quite accustomed to having him around the last few days. Still, she thought to herself as she pulled the still-growing pile of paperwork towards her, at least she might have a chance of actually getting some work done. She picked up her pen, tucking her hair behind her ear as she focussed on the first page, getting started.

Five minutes and two pages later, a knock at the door disturbed her work once again. Trying to keep the irritation from her voice she glanced up, "Come in."

Phil's head appeared around the door, glancing around the room, evidently checking for company, "Hi Rach, no Eddie?"

She shook her head, smiling, "Nope, he's on cooler duty this lunch," she gestured to the chair on the other side of her desk, "Come in Phil."

He did so, closing the door behind him and sitting somewhat awkwardly on the chair facing his aunt, feeling very much as though he'd been called to the headmistress's office for bad behaviour, which he supposed wasn't too far from the truth considering what had happened that morning, except that he'd come here of his own accord. He looked up at her then, checking her expression for any signs of sadness and yet unsure of exactly what he was looking for, he smiled gently at her, "I just wanted to check how you were."

She laughed softly, smiling warmly at him, "I'm fine Phil, honest, much better for our little chat earlier, which I wanted to thank you for by the way."

Philip blushed, glancing away awkwardly, "S'ok." he muttered, searching desperately for an alternate topic of conversation.

Thankfully, Rachel provided it, sighing slightly, "And while we're on the subject," she paused, obviously uncomfortable, and Phil raised his eyes to hers, confused. She continued, "Look, I don't like having to do this, but I can't be seen to be giving you preferential treatment." Phil continued to stare at her, clueless. Rachel sighed deeply, "I'm giving you an official warning about using physical violence to settle disputes," she reeled off quickly, wanting to get this over and done with, "if it happens again I may be forced to take more serious action such as suspending you." Moving her eyes from where she had been staring at the back wall, she caught her nephew's gaze again, "Phil, I'm not going to give you detention, although I'd rather you didn't advertise that fact, and I'm not putting it on your official school record, although technically I should. I'm sorry…"

He cut her off, shrugging, "Don't worry about it, it's not like it's going to happen again, I just didn't want them speaking about you like that." He suddenly caught himself and looked at her worriedly.

Rachel smiled, "It's okay Phil, I'm okay, I know what they said and I've got over it. But please, don't let yourself get dragged into my messes again, it's not your problem, it's mine, honest." She smiled again, although somewhat sadly, prompting Phil to frown, shaking his head vehemently, "No Rachel, this time it **is** my fault, they were just using you to get at me, that's **not** your fault!"

She sighed, turning away slightly, staring out the window, "It's alright Phil, there'll always be people who can't get over what I used to do, I know that, I just wasn't expecting to come face to face with it, that's all," she sniffed, turning slightly watery eyes back to the boy opposite her, "thanks for trying to prevent that, by the way, Eddie told me," she smiled a little, "it was really sweet."

Somehow sensing her need for comfort, Philip stood, walking around the desk to stand next to her, opening his arms somewhat awkwardly, causing his aunt to stand and allow him to embrace her, hugging him tightly. Phil had never been very good at knowing what other people, particularly women, needed, and even worse at providing it, but as he patted Rachel slightly uncomfortably on the back and heard her breathing calm, he decided that maybe, just maybe, he might be starting to learn.

Phil had left pretty quickly after that, having assured himself that Rachel was going to be okay and looking slightly awkward but pleased with himself for having managed to comfort her. As the door clicked shut behind him Rachel sighed, sitting back down and turning her attention back to her paperwork, feeling strangely lonely without anyone else in her office; what with Steph, Eddie and Phil she'd had hardly any time alone so far. Rolling her eyes at her own sentimentality, she focussed on the sheets in front her, grabbing a pen and getting started.

Three hours later, a knock on her office door drew Rachel out of a boredom-induced stupor, causing her to glance at the now much smaller 'to-do' pile with relief. Smiling slightly, she called for them to enter, her smile widening when Eddie emerged through the door, crossing the room to stand next to her and grabbing her hands, pulling her to her feet. She laughed, and he nodded to the amount of work on her desk, "Someone's been working hard I see."

Rachel rolled her eyes, grinning, "Yeah well one of us has to!"

Eddie gasped in mock offence, "Are you suggesting I don't?"

Rachel laughed, "Of course not, whatever gave you that idea?" She wound her arms around his neck, standing on tiptoe and pulling his head down to allow their lips to meet, sighing in contentment at the soft kiss. After a moment, they pulled apart, resting their foreheads together and staring into each others' eyes. Rachel sighed softly, "You have no idea how much more relaxed I am now than five minutes ago; I thought I was going to go mad from boredom!"

Eddie smiled, "Glad to be of service." He stood up straighter, pulling away from her and wrapping an arm around her waist, "Now, let's go ho…" he paused, catching himself, "back to yours, I think Phil's waiting by the car."

Rachel groaned softly, leaning her head against Eddie's arm, "Oh God, I have to talk to him tonight." she sighed, "I'd forgotten."

Eddie looked down at her in concern, tightening his grip on her and pausing, not wanting to leave the office until he was sure she was okay, "Don't worry about it Rach, I'll be there, and if it's too much you can always leave it until tomorrow." She opened her mouth to object, but he just shook his head, "No, it's been a long day. If you can't face it tonight then don't, Phil will understand."

She sighed, "I guess." she looked up at him, a slight smile playing over her lips, "Thanks Eddie."

He smiled, "You're more than welcome, now," he sighed, pulling his arm away from her and putting a more respectable distance between them, "Ready to face the masses?"

Rachel laughed, "Most of the masses will have left by now!"

Eddie shrugged, "I suppose, but 'ready to face the few stragglers' doesn't quite have the same ring to it, does it?"

Rachel laughed, rolling her eyes, "Come on you, just get through that door!" Eddie did so, opening the door and allowing her through first, causing her to smile at him in thanks as they made their way through the corridors side by side, chatting occasionally but mostly walking in a comfortable silence. A couple of minutes later they left the school, walking down the steps to the car, finding Phil stood there. Rachel smiled, "Hi Phil, you alright?"

He nodded, "Yeah, okay. You?"

Rachel smiled at the question, "I'm fine, thanks." She glanced at the car, sighing slightly at the fact they still weren't home, "Come on, let's get going then."

Eddie looked at her perceptively, noticing her exhaustion, "Rach, do you want me to drive, give you a chance to relax?"

She smiled, seeming a little relieved, "If you don't mind that would be wonderful, thank you."

Eddie smiled back at her, "Of course I don't." He walked over to her, reaching out to take the keys from her and letting their hands brush together, noticing the way she smiled a little wider at the contact, before pulling away and getting into the car.

The journey home was silent, as Phil listened to his iPod and Rachel dozed in the front seat, making Eddie smile a little sadly. He was glad that she felt relaxed enough in his company to be able to doze off, but the day had obviously taken a bigger toll on her than she'd let on. As she muttered something incoherent, shifting to rest her head against the window, Eddie vowed to make the evening as easy on her as possible and, more importantly, do all in his power to prevent the day's events from repeating themselves.


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N: And we're back to several updates a day :P. Here you go, have another bit:**_

**Chapter 15**

As Eddie pulled into the drive he looked across to the passenger side, Rachel stirring slightly but not waking. He sighed; it had been a long day for her. Climbing out of the car, he saw Phil follow suit, turning off his iPod as he did so and looking towards Rachel's door in confusion. He looked at Eddie, "Is she alright?"

Eddie smiled at the concern in the boy's voice, "Yeah, she's just sleeping," he tossed the house keys to Phil, "Let yourself in, I'll wake her and be in in a moment." Philip nodded, glancing once more at the car before walking away to unlock the front door, his worry for his aunt evident.

Eddie sighed softly to himself as he walked around to Rachel's side of the car, loath to wake her when she seemed so peaceful. Still, he wasn't going to leave her out there, and so he opened the door carefully, relieved to find that she was no longer leaning against it. Crouching down to her level he reached out, brushing her hair gently back from her face and pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, causing her to murmur something in her sleep. He smiled, "Rach? Rach we're here, it's time to wake up now."

She sighed deeply, her eyes fluttering slowly open as she blinked against the light of the streetlamps, "Eddie." she muttered, her voice still full of sleep as she closed her eyes again; trying to remember where she was and what she was doing there. Eddie smiled, "Yep, it's me." He leant across her to undo her seatbelt for her and she turned to him, yawning, "I'm sorry for falling asleep."

He shook his head, stroking her cheek gently as he spoke, "Don't be, you obviously needed the rest."

She nodded, "I did; I'm shattered and I don't know why!"

He laughed, "It's been a tough few days."

Rachel nodded again, climbing somewhat unsteadily out of the car, glad of Eddie's arm around her waist to keep her falling, allowing herself to lean against him as he closed the door and led her towards the house, still too sleepy to think properly or, it seemed, stand on her own two feet.

As they entered the house, Eddie closing the door behind them, he looked down at her in concern, "Rach, you look exhausted, do you want to just go to bed?"

She shook her head, "No, I want to spend some time with you and Phil, it's been such a mad day. I'm going to go upstairs and have a shower, wake myself up a bit and then I'll come and make dinner, okay?"

Eddie frowned, "No. You go and have your shower and _I'll_ make dinner, have it ready for when you come back down, how's that?"

She smiled, "That sounds wonderful, thank you."

He pulled her to him, kissing her softly, "You're more than welcome."

Rachel returned downstairs 25 minutes later, her hair hanging loose and damp around her shoulders, smiling as the aroma of cooking food reached her nostrils. She couldn't deny that she was tired and stressed, but a combination of the shower and the fact that Eddie was around and helping out had calmed her, making her feel a little more in control of her life.

Entering the kitchen, Rachel smiled at the sight that met her eyes; Eddie was serving food onto three plates, with a look of intense concentration on his face, while Phil laid the table, smiling to himself. Rachel grinned, "I love you two, do you know that?"

Eddie laughed, as Phil blushed bright red, still uncomfortable with any display of affection, "You might have mentioned something about it once or twice."

Rachel swatted him playfully on the arm, before leaning up to kiss him quickly on the lips, "Well I'll say it again then!"

Eddie grinned, leaning down to whisper in her ear, "You could always show me instead."

Rachel giggled uncharacteristically, turning her head to reply softly, "You'll have to earn it first."

Eddie was about to respond when Phil coughed loudly, "I am still here you know. Can't you two do that some other time?"

Rachel laughed, pulling away from Eddie and grabbing three glasses and a bottle of wine from the cupboard, "Sorry Phil. Red wine alright for you two?"

Eddie nodded and Phil smiled, looking rather pleased with himself, "You have to ask that question?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, "_One_ glass Phil, just because I'm allowing you to have wine with a meal doesn't mean I want you getting drunk!"

Philip laughed, "Yes Miss."

Rachel shuddered, "Please, I get called that all day, can we drop it at home!"

Phil smiled, "Yeah, sorry Rach."

She smiled, sitting down at the table as Eddie placed the plates of food down, pouring wine into everyone's glasses and then sitting back, looking much happier. Eddie smiled at her, taking his place next to her and placing an arm around her shoulders, letting her rest her head against him contentedly. Phil shook his head in exasperation, but was smiling as he spoke, "Honestly, you two are sickening!"

Rachel laughed, sitting up again and allowing Eddie to remove his arm and pick up his knife and fork, "Well I happen to quite like being sickening!"

Phil rolled his eyes, and for a few moments there was silence as everyone concentrated on their food. After a while, however, Rachel sighed, inwardly preparing herself for the conversation she knew she needed to have with her nephew, and replaying Steph's advice in her mind. Taking a deep breath, she smiled and fixed her eyes on Phil, "Phil, I just wanted to say thanks for what you did today." she laughed slightly, "I can't really say it at school, I have to tell you off for fighting there, but I'm not your headmistress right now, so thank you for standing up for me, I appreciate it must have been hard."

Philip shrugged, turning slightly pink and staring fixedly down at his food, "S'alright. I probably made it worse."

Rachel shook her head, "No Phil, you didn't, and you have no idea how much it means to me to have someone prepared to do that for me." she paused somewhat uncomfortably, before broaching the real problem, "But Phil, can I ask you something?"

Philip looked up, confused, "Yeah, course."

She gulped, "It's just something you said, something about every other aspect of your life having been used against you, what did you mean?"

A sharp intake of breath was heard from Philip's side of the table, as he cursed himself for saying something so revealing in front of Eddie, who had doubtless passed it on to his aunt. Finally, he looked up, meeting her concerned gaze, "Oh, nothing really." He returned his eyes to his food, not seeing the somewhat helpless look Rachel gave to Eddie, or the way he reached across to take her hand, supporting her.

There was silence for a moment, before Rachel spoke again, "It didn't sound like nothing Phil, is something going on? Are you being bullied or something?"

Philip laughed somewhat falsely, "Don't be silly, of course not!" He noticed the way his voice had risen slightly in panic at the end, and from the look on his aunt's face she had too. He looked away from them, wishing this conversation wasn't happening.

When Rachel spoke, her voice was soft, reassuring, "Phil? Tell me what's going on, please. I want to help."

Something inside Philip snapped. He stood, his expression both angry and tormented, almost shouting as he spoke, "Oh yeah, because having the headmistress sticking her nose in is really going to help! I'm **fine** Rachel, just leave it, okay?" He turned, leaving his dinner half-eaten on the table and running from the room, his footsteps travelling upstairs and culminating in the slamming of his bedroom door.

Rachel closed her eyes, her expression pained, feeling Eddie's arms wrap around her and pull her closer to him. She sighed, "Well, I dealt with that really well, didn't I?"

Eddie shifted his chair so her was facing her, pulling her to him and embracing her comfortingly, "Don't worry about it Rach, it was always going to be a difficult conversation, why don't we finish dinner, give him a chance to calm down, and then try again, hmm?"

She nodded, pulling away from him with a small smile, "How come you always know the right thing to say?"

Eddie laughed, "Because I'm just brilliant!"

Rachel rolled her eyes as she returned to her food, just glad not to be dealing with this by herself. The rest of the meal was passed in silence, both adults too wrapped up in their own thoughts for conversation, although Eddie kept glancing worriedly at Rachel, knowing her well enough to be concerned about how much she was beating herself up for what had just happened. Finally, ten minutes later, Rachel lay her knife and fork down next to her plate, sighing as she turned to Eddie, who had finished eating a couple of minutes previously, "Right, I can't leave it any longer, I'm going to go and have a word."

Eddie nodded, "Okay, do you want me to come?"

Rachel shook her head, "No, I think he'll react better if it's one-on-one." she paused, suddenly looking a little nervous, "You'll still be here when I'm done, won't you?"

Eddie laughed, grabbing her hand where it rested on the table and bringing it to his lips, kissing the backs of her fingers gently, "Where else am I going to be Rach, I'm staying here, remember?"

Rachel blushed, feeling a little silly for her outburst, "Yeah, course, sorry." She stood to leave, but was stopped by Eddie's grip on her hand. She turned to look at him, her expression questioning, "Eddie?"

He smiled at her, "Don't apologise for needing a bit of reassurance occasionally Rach, I'd rather you told me when you were worried than bottled it up inside."

She smiled back at him, recognising the truth in his words, "I'll bear that in mind." He released her hand then, allowing her to leave and make her way out of the kitchen and up the stairs towards Philip's room. She sighed softly to herself as she approached the door. This was not a conversation she was looking forward to.

Rachel knocked softly on Philip's door, calling through to him, "Phil, it's Rachel."

She heard him sigh from inside the room, "I'm sorry for yelling at you but please just leave me alone." The words were harsh, but Rachel could hear the slightly shaky edge to her nephew's tone, and it made her stomach twist uncomfortably.

She tried again, "Phil, please. I won't do anything if you don't want me to, but at least tell me what's going on; talking might help."

The door opened and Rachel smiled, until she caught sight of the angry look on her nephew's face, "I said leave it, okay? Just go back to Eddie and leave me _alone_!" The door swung shut again, but Rachel stuck her foot out, holding it open and giving her a nasty bruise. She winced, but ploughed on anyway, "Phil, please, let me help."

He glared at her, "What part of 'leave me alone' don't you understand? Why do you have to keep on and on at me all the time? Mum never used to do it, why can't you be more like her?" Philip was angry, and he almost spat the words, not thinking about what he was saying, just trying to get out of this conversation.

Rachel stepped backwards, the blood draining from her face tears smarted at her eyes. The words hurt, much more than any physical blow. She knew she could never be Philip's mum, of course she did, but she was trying so, so hard, and she thought she was doing okay. The words echoed in her head _'why can't you be more like her'._ Rachel brought her hand to her lips, her face crumpling as the first few tears escaped, Phil having hurt her more than he could ever have imagined. She'd spent all of her life in the shadow of her perfect little sister, and it seemed now was no exception.

As he saw the grief-stricken expression on his aunt's face all of Phil's anger disappeared, to be replaced by a choking sense of guilt as he realised what he had said. He knew he couldn't take the words back now, but the truth was that the woman in front of him had been more of a mother to him in the last few days than his real mother had ever been. He stepped forwards, placing a hand hesitantly on her arm, "Rach, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

She shook her head, stepping backwards, the instinct to run taking her over, "No, Phil, I understand, it… it's fine." Her voice was shaking along with her legs as she backed away from him, before turning towards the stairs, only to walk smack into Eddie who had come up as soon as he heard raised voices. Instantly seeing how upset she was, his arms closed around her, holding her close in an attempt to comfort her. Rachel put her hands on his chest, trying to push him away, to escape from this, but he wouldn't loosen his grip on her. She looked up at him, the tears still flowing from her eyes, "Let go of me Eddie!"

He shook his head, "No, it's okay, I'm here."

She continued to push against him, needing to get away, "I don't want you, I don't need this, just get off me!"

Eddie bit his lip, trying not to let the words get to him, realising she was just upset, "Rachel, just calm down, it's okay, you don't need to run away."

"I'm not running away!" She shouted, somewhat desperately, still struggling to break free from Eddie's grasp while Phil simply stood there, unable to take his eyes from the scene unfolding in front of him and feeling awful for having managed to upset his aunt that much.

Eddie sighed, "Rachel, you are ten times the person Mel will ever be, and don't you ever let anyone tell you different, okay?"

She finally stopped fighting, slumping against him looking defeated, "Don't be stupid," she muttered, "Mel is young and beautiful with men tripping up to be with her and enough charisma to fill the school and I'm an emotionally unstable ex-hooker who's hanging on to her job by her finger-nails and has so many hang-ups I seem to spend most of my time crying."

Eddie held her away from him slightly, looking into her eyes as he spoke firmly, "Don't you ever say that again, do you hear me? Mel is also unreliable, a compulsive liar and someone who repeatedly hurts those closest to her. You are beautiful and intelligent, strong enough to move on from your past and make something of yourself, and so amazing that you managed to win over six hundreds teenagers who normally spend most of their time hating their teachers to the extent that they heard about your past and moved on from it with no problem whatsoever. And whatever the LEA says, the students love you and the staff love you so you're not going anywhere, not even if you want to!"

Rachel didn't respond, simply resting her head against his chest as she took several deep breaths, calming herself before she looked up again, meeting Phil's gaze, "Phil, I'm sorry, I know I can never be your mum and goodness knows I wish she hadn't run off like that but I'm trying," her voice shook and cracked, dropping to a broken whisper as she let the last desperate thought escape; "Oh God I'm trying so hard." She buried her face in Eddie's shoulder again, not wanting Philip to see the look on her face.

Phil stood, frozen for a moment, unable to comprehend the fact that Rachel was apologising when all she'd done recently was make his life easier. It was only when Eddie gave him a sharp look over the top of her head that he realised it was up to him to fix this. He took a deep breath, trying to work out what on earth he could say that would make this better, before settling for starting by apologising and then going from there, "No Rach, _I'm_ sorry, I didn't mean a word of what I just said, I just didn't want to have that conversation, but I know you were trying to help. The truth is…" he paused, never having been good with this sort of thing, "Well the truth is; you've done more for me in the last three days than Mum ever did. I feel," he paused again, barely able to believe he was saying this; talking about his feeling had never exactly come naturally, "I feel like I can relax when you're around, that I don't have to worry the whole time about what you're doing and whether you're going to get into trouble for it and what the hell I should do about it anyway." By now Rachel had turned, watching him as he spoke. Philip's first instinct was to turn bright red and disappear into his room, but he knew she needed to hear this, "When you and Eddie are around, I feel like it's all going to be okay, you know? I feel safe."

There was a long pause, as Rachel simply regarded her nephew, new tears gathering in her eyes, but this time for an entirely different reason. Finally, just as Phil was beginning to worry that he'd said the wrong thing, she broke free or Eddie's arms and walked forward, embracing Phil who wrapped his arms around her in response, resuming the slightly-awkward back-patting that he'd become so accustomed to over the last few days and letting her cry into his hair. As Rachel clung to him, reassuring herself that he didn't hate her, Eddie smiled at him over the top of her head, mouthing 'well done' at him. Phil blushed, smiling slightly; he really did seem to be getting the hang of this.

After a couple of minutes, during which Philip became increasingly uncomfortable and Eddie increasingly amused at the look of awkwardness on his face, Rachel finally pulled away, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes as she did so and prompting Eddie to appear at her side, wrapping a supportive arm around her. There was a moment of silence, and then Philip sighed, "Okay. I wouldn't say I get bullied at school, because that suggests that it's a few people with a particular vendetta against me, and that's not true, it's just that teasing me seems to be a favourite past-time of most of my year. It's not as though it's anything new; I move around a lot and I've never been particularly perceptive in social situations, so I always get targeted. That's all I meant, it's nothing serious," He finally looked up from where he had been staring at the floor, meeting his aunt's eyes, "I've been through it enough to know that it just dies out eventually, in fact it's already starting to, but you can't do anything, please, it'll only make it worse."

Rachel looked at him, sighing, "Okay, if that's what you want, but if it starts to get out of control, or even if it doesn't and you just want someone to rant to, you know you can always talk to me, right?"

Phil smiled, "Yeah, thanks Rach." he paused, feeling slightly awkward with Eddie and his aunt entwined in front of him, "Er, do you mind if I just go to bed, I'm really tired."

Rachel shook her head, smiling slightly, "Of course not, sleep well."

Phil grinned, that simple sentiment something he'd never got from his mother, who was usually too preoccupied with her latest man to notice him disappear, "I will, you too." He turned, disappearing into his room and closing the door behind him, leaving the adults alone on the landing.

Eddie looked down at Rachel, who was resting her head against his arm, looking drained but happy, "You look tired, do you want to go to bed?"

She shook her head, "Nah, not yet, do you want to go and see what's on TV or something?"

He nodded, and they made their way downstairs, holding hands when Eddie couldn't keep his arm around Rachel's waist, needing the reassurance of the contact. They reached the lounge, flicking to a repeat of '_Britain's got talent'_ and settling down to watch it, Rachel curled into Eddie's side, resting her head on his chest.

As he watched yet another middle-aged woman slaughter a decent song, Eddie couldn't help but think of the last time they'd sat on this sofa together, exactly three days earlier. Their relationship had been so new then, and Rachel had been trying to focus on Phil, making every moment so full of so many different emotions Eddie had thought he would explode. He would never say he hadn't loved that time, but there was something wonderfully simple and every-day about sitting here with her in his arms, watching crap TV and just enjoying each others' company. Yes, he decided, smiling at the way the light from the TV played across her face, he could definitely get used to this.


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N: And your third chapter for the day, with another few of my famous fluffy moments; sorry! Drop me a line if you're still reading; it makes me smile!**_

**Chapter 16**

Rachel sat comfortably enveloped in Eddie's arms, thinking back to last time she had sat here with him. She'd just returned down the stairs from seeing to Phil, and Eddie had asked her whether she was okay, she remembered. She suspected that that moment would remain ingrained in her memory forever, as she'd shaken her head and allowed him to comfort her; the first time she'd let anyone in so completely since her childhood. At the time, she'd been unsure whether or not it was the right thing to do, but now, only three days later, she knew that Eddie would never, ever let her down. She could always rely on him to be there, to look after her.

At this thought, she was reminded of a time only a couple of weeks earlier, when she had cried herself to sleep every night, longing to pick up the phone and call him but knowing she couldn't. It wasn't so much the fact that he was in a relationship with her sister rather than her that had been the problem, although seeing them together had been hell, but more the fact that he was so wrapped up in Mel that she had felt like she never saw him anymore. During those few long weeks, she had felt more alone than ever before, even though ironically bringing Mel to the school was supposed to give her someone else to rely on. Until that point, she'd never realised quite how much she'd come to rely on Eddie, and his comforting presence at her side.

As her thoughts wandered, Rachel suddenly realised something about the last few days; she had broken down more times in company since Friday than over the last few years put together. She knew why it was, of course, there had been an awful lot going on and it had been so long since she'd had someone to hold her and tell her it was all going to be okay that it was only natural for her to be a little teary for a few days. Still, it scared her a little to realise how much she was relying on him already, probably testament to the amount of time these feelings had been kept bottled up. Sighing slightly in contentment as one of Eddie's hands came up to play with her hair, she turned to him, smiling although the sentiment behind her statement was obvious, "Don't ever leave Eddie, will you?"

He smiled, leaning down to kiss her tenderly before pulling back and looking down into her eyes, allowing her to see the depth of the emotion he felt for her, "I couldn't if I tried Rach; I've tried before, remember, you got me drunk and changed my mind!"

Rachel laughed, "You had one sip! And besides, your mind was changed before that or you wouldn't have agreed so readily."

Eddie sighed, smiling slightly, "Yes, I guess it was. For some reason, I couldn't stand the thought of working for anyone but you, I should have taken the chance really, shouldn't I?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, unable to keep the smile from her face at his words, "Yeah, well it would certainly have been quieter without you!"

Eddie looked mock offended, "Hmph!" He turned his head away from her, making Rachel laugh.

She reached up, pulling his chin to force him to face her again, "Hey, don't be like that; I've found a good way of shutting you up!" She leant up closer to him, leaving her lips hovering millimetres from his.

Eddie smirked, "Oh have you now," he muttered, before the temptation became too much and he closed the space between them, kissing her soundly. Rachel responded, wrapping her arms around his neck and moaning softly into his mouth as his hands found the buttons on her blouse, making her shiver as his fingers brushed against her skin. She pulled away from him, moving her lips to his neck and beginning to work her way down, when the sound of footsteps made them freeze, and Phil came into view, making his way down the stairs.

Resisting the urge to pretend she hadn't noticed him, Rachel quickly pulled away from Eddie, automatically refastening her blouse buttons and turning to face the TV, making Eddie look at her, confused, "Rach?"

She tilted her head towards the kitchen, when Phil had disappeared to, presumably in search of a glass of water, "Philip." she muttered, returning her attention to the latest terrible act on TV and making Eddie sigh, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and bringing her closer to him, resuming their earlier position and making a mental note to pick up where they had left off once Phil was safely back in bed.

Unbeknown to Eddie, Rachel had exactly the same idea, frustrated that her nephew had come down when he had but glad that he hadn't left it any longer (she still hadn't forgotten the clothes incident from the previous day). Still, as she watched someone trying (and failing) to juggle several pineapples, Rachel wondered what was taking him so long, and why her eyes suddenly felt so heavy. She wasn't _that_ tired, was she? She felt her eyes fall closed and rested like that a moment, before she felt the haziness of sleep begin to overtake her and opened them again, focussing on the TV. Really, if she didn't want to fall asleep she should move and sit up, but Eddie's chest was just so warm and comfortable…

Hearing Phil's bedroom door shut, he looked down at Rachel, about to try and resume their earlier activity before he noticed how hard she was fighting sleep, a losing battle if the amount of time her eyes were spending closed was anything to go by. Smiling affectionately, he stroked her hair gently back from her face, making her blink sleepily up at him, "Time for bed I think," he said softly, making her nod at him before lying back down on his chest, her eyes instantly closing again.

Eddie chuckled softly, sitting up slowly and taking her with him, "You're gonna have to get up to get there Rach, sorry."

She opened her eyes slowly, yawning as she remained slumped against him, consciousness slowly returning, "Sorry. I guess I was more tired than I thought."

He stood then, pulling her to her feet and keeping an arm tightly wound around her waist until she had blinked a few times and regained her balance, slipping out of his arms and heading for the stairs. Halfway there, she paused, looking into the kitchen and sighing, "I should clear that up."

Eddie came up behind her, resting his hands on her shoulders and steering her slowly towards the stairs, "Don't worry about it, I did most of it earlier and we can sort the rest in the morning; you need your sleep."

She let him win, allowing his gentle hands to propel her towards the stairs, climbing slowly towards her room. Finally arriving, she slipped inside, sitting down on the bed to take her shoes off, leaning against the headboard as she did so, finding herself dozing off again but powerless to stop it. Smiling at the sight in front of him, Eddie followed her into the room, closing the door behind him and crossing to her side, helping her out of her clothes and under the covers before undressing and joining her, switching off the light as he did so. As he wrapped her arms around her, he couldn't help but smile at the fact that this was the second time in three days that he'd had to help her upstairs, although the previous time he'd been carrying her. It might have seemed like a burden to some people, but Eddie just found the fact that she was relaxed enough to fall asleep on him incredibly endearing, even if he did wish she could have left the falling asleep bit until a little later…

Rachel turned over slowly as she returned to consciousness, smiling as she saw Eddie was already awake, watching her with a look of love and adoration that made her heart flutter. She shuffled slightly closer to him, revelling in the feeling of being so safe in his arms, something she still couldn't get used to. They lay there like that for a few moments, as Rachel woke up properly and the events of the previous evening returned to her. When they did she shifted backwards, looking up at Eddie with a slight blush, "I fell asleep on you again, didn't I?" she said softly, feeling even more embarrassed as she remembered the events leading up to that.

Eddie laughed softly, reaching out to rub her cheek gently with his thumb, "Yes, you did."

She moaned in embarrassment, burying her head in his chest again, "Oh I'm so sorry, and we were… oh sorry!"

He simply laughed again, dropping a gentle kiss onto the top of her head before he spoke again, "Oh don't worry about it; you obviously needed the rest. And besides, you're rather adorable when you fall asleep on me."

Rachel looked at him, her eyebrows raised, "Adorable? Should I take that as a compliment?" she asked him, her tone somewhat incredulous.

Eddie smile widened and he wrapped his arms around her, pulling he closer to him once again and looking into her eyes, "Only when it's referring to you." He kissed her lightly on the end of her nose, but as he pulled away she reached forwards, capturing his lips in a passionate kiss that left him breathless. As she pulled away, smiling, he looked at her, "What was that for?"

She smirked at him, "Well, we never did get to finish what we started last night, and there's a good half hour before we have to get up for school…"

Eddie grinned, kissing her again, "I like your thinking Miss Mason."

She laughed, "I thought you might." And then they were kissing again, and suddenly, there was no need for words.

Phil woke up, blinking at the bright light coming through the gap in his curtains and glancing at his alarm clock, surprised to see it was still a while before he had to get up, and wondering what had woken him. Inwardly dismissing it he returned his mind to the night before, physically wincing as the image of his aunt's hurt expression returned once again. Her words echoed in his head; _"I'm trying… Oh God I'm trying so hard."_ she'd been referring to her attempt to step into the hole that his mother had left behind her, but Phil realised the sentiment applied to him, too. Things had been so bad with his mum recently that in some ways he was glad he was away from her, especially after that call the previous Friday. In some ways he hated her for what she'd done; the deceit and every action that she'd taken to hurt him, Eddie and Rachel. In some ways, he was glad to be rid of her.

But she was his mum. She had given birth to him, brought him up, and been a pretty constant fixture in his life since day one. Sure, in the last few years he felt like he'd spent more time looking after her than the other way around, but still, she'd always been there. And now she wasn't. And Rachel and Eddie were being wonderful, and with them he felt safe, and much more able to approach them about anything, the way his aunt had managed to get him to open up the previous evening was proof of that. But, somehow, none of it was enough to fix the wound his mother had inflicted when she'd walked out of his life five days earlier, a wound that had become ever deeper when she'd made that phone call. Yes, he hated her for it, but he also loved her, and missed her more than he would have believed possible.

There had been moments over the last few days that him, Rachel, and Eddie had felt like a family; doing things together and generally getting on. But still, nothing could change the fact that Rachel was his aunt, not his mother, and Eddie would never be his dad. As Phil bit his lip to try and stop the tears from falling he wondered how life could be so unfair that the one person who hurt you most could be the one you couldn't live without. And then he thought of Rachel, and the pain that had flashed across her face so many times when Eddie was with his mum, and realised that sometimes, that was just the way life was.

Having finally managed to stay away from Eddie long enough to get dressed, Rachel made her downstairs, leaving him to shower and humming softly (and rather out of tune) to herself. Entering the kitchen, she found Phil in there, nursing a cup of coffee with two others lined up on the side, ready. Her grin grew even wider at the sight, "Oh Phil, thank you!"

He looked up at her, laughing slightly at the sheer amount of joy on her face, "S'all right; I can use a kettle you know! It was milk and two sugars, right?"

Rachel blushed slightly as he mentioned her biggest weakness, "Er, yeah, that's right, I need energising in the morning!"

Phil laughed, "Tell me about it! Why exactly do we always have to be in school half an hour before everyone else?"

Rachel rolled her eyes as she picked up her coffee, sipping it, "Mmm, perfect, thank Phil. And we have to be in early because I'm the head! You have no idea how much there is to do in a morning!"

Phil looked at her, frowning slightly, "But surely you could just do it the night before and then arrive at a reasonable time?"

Rachel smiled slightly as she sat down opposite him, "Not that simple I'm afraid. I couldn't be more than ten minutes later anyway; I'm always the one to unlock the school, and besides by the time I leave I'm going mad from all the paperwork. Strangely enough, I work best in the mornings."

Phil looked at her like she'd just grown a second, rather ugly head, "You work better in the mornings?" He said incredulously, "It takes me until second period to wake up!"

Rachel laughed, "Yes, well you have the luxury of being able to do that. I suspect someone might notice if I tried to take an assembly half-asleep."

Phil looked at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes, "People notice a lot of things during assembly Rach."

Rachel frowned at him, confused, "What are you getting at?"

Phil looked away, smirking slightly and pretending to be very interested in his coffee, "Oh… nothing." He said nonchalantly, making Rachel even more nervous.

She looked at him a moment, thinking back over the last few days and trying to work out what he was talking about, but drawing a blank, "Philip Ryan tell me what you're talking about right now!" she ordered him, although the laughter in her voice softened it slightly.

He looked up at her, smiling, "Oh, it's nothing really," she fixed him with a threatening look, "Okay okay! Friday morning, halfway through assembly…"

Phil saw comprehension dawn on Rachel's face and she dropped her head into her hands, groaning, "Oh God, don't tell me it was that obvious! It was what, half a second? I could have been trying to remember what I was saying or… something…"

Phil looked at her, his amusement evident, "Half a second? More like half a minute, I was actually starting to get a bit worried!"

She looked at him, her face scarlet, "Oh no, it can't have been! Can it?"

Phil bit his lip, trying to prevent himself from laughing at the mortified look on his aunt's face, "Why do you think everyone drew so many conclusions from you arriving together yesterday?"

Rachel's expression froze, and for a moment Phil worried that he had said the wrong thing, and unwittingly upset her again. After all, he knew how little she liked being gossiped about. To his relief, however, she suddenly burst out laughing, shaking her head at her own stupidity, "30 seconds? A whole thirty seconds? No wonder all the staff kept giving me such knowing looks, oh I feel a bit silly now!"

Phil laughed too, glad she seemed to be taking it well, "Don't worry about it, I seem to spend most of my life feeling bit silly; it happens a lot when you spend most of your life walking into people and falling over things!"

Rachel smiled, patting him on the hand, "Don't worry about it Phil, you'll grow out of it. At least you've never fallen down a flight of stairs in heels!"

Philip winced in empathy, "Ouch, when was that?"

Rachel rolled her eyes, "My first day. Luckily no-one was around, especially not Eddie, but I had to walk on it for the rest of the day. I went to A&E that night to get it checked out and it turned out I'd sprained my ankle!"

Phil laughed along with her, but looked a little confused, "Why 'especially not Eddie', were you trying to impress him or something?"

Rachel laughed at the thought, rolling her eyes, "Goodness no! I forgot you didn't know all of this; Eddie absolutely hated me, he was awful to me on my first day! I had him down as someone I'd spend most of my working life working against." she glanced at the ceiling with a slight smile, able to hear his footsteps as he moved around upstairs, "Funny how things change."

Phil sighed softly, thinking of all that had changed recently, "Yeah, funny."

Rachel looked at him perceptively, her eyes concerned, "Phil?"

He shook his head, shrugging, "Oh it's nothing, just missing mum a bit I guess, it seems weird without her around." Rachel nodded sympathetically, looking a little uncomfortable, and Phil swiftly changed the subject, "Talking of things changing, why on earth were you singing this morning Rach?" She looked at him a little guiltily and Phil felt his ears burn as he held up a hand, "Actually, don't tell me, just… don't, please Rach, I quite like my eardrums!"

She looked at him, her mouth dropping open in astonishment, "Philip Ryan! My singing isn't that bad!"

Eddie appeared in the doorway, his expression incredulous, "Actually, Rach…"

Rachel glowered at him, "Actually, my singing voice is wonderful?"

He glanced away from her, crossing the kitchen and opening the cupboard, "Who wants breakfast?"

Phil laughed, and Rachel threw a nearby pen at the back of Eddie's head, which missed and hit the wall, making him turn back to her with his eyebrows raised, "I was going to say that your singing is just as wonderful as your throwing."

Rachel glowered at him, before turning away and looking pointedly out the window, avoiding both their eyes and making Eddie and Phil laugh. Unfortunately for her, she was so wrapped up in ignoring them that she didn't notice Eddie come up behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders and making her squeal with fright. As he gripped her shoulders, trying to prevent her from falling from the chair in her surprise, Rachel turned, still trying to get her breathing under control, "Don't creep up on me like that!"

Eddie laughed somewhat apologetically, "Sorry! But I didn't mean to creep up on you; I assumed you knew I was there."

She raised her eyebrows at him, "Yeah, course you did."

Eddie threw his hands up in mock surrender, "I did! I'm not quite that evil!"

Rachel continued to stare at him with a disbelieving look, "Hmm."

Eddie sighed in exasperation, "Okay, say what you like! Tell you what, how about I prove I'm not that evil; what do you and Phil want to eat?"

Rachel smiled, "Okay, you're forgiven! And I was just going to have some cereal," she made to get up, "I can get it."

Eddie's hands were back on her shoulders, forcing her back into her seat, "I'm already up, don't worry about it, Phil?"

Philip looked suspiciously at the oven where Eddie had made such a mess of the toast the previous day and decided to stay on the safe side, "I'll just have a bowl of cereal too, please."

Eddie nodded, moving around the kitchen to get everything they needed and setting it on the table, not noticing the look of adoration Rachel was directing at him, or the way Phil rolled his eyes when he spotted it. As he sat down, Rachel pulled him towards her, kissing him softly on the lips before pulling away, smiling, "Thank you."

Eddie looked confused, "For what?"

Rachel laughed, "For helping out without being asked; it's very rare in a man!"

Eddie laughed, "Oh, you've had many have you?"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth Eddie realised their implications, noticing the way Rachel froze with her hand half-way to the milk. He brought a hand to his forehead, "Oh God Rach, I'm sorry, I didn't mean…"

Swallowing the momentary rush of emotion and memories Rachel shook her head, "Don't worry, I know you didn't," she laughed somewhat nervously, "I'm used to you putting your foot in it by now!"

Eddie smiled tenderly at her, and breakfast continued, all bad memories forgotten as Rachel and Eddie lost themselves in meaningless but fun conversation with Phil.


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N: And another bit for you all, remember to suspend reality a bit for this, if you haven't got used to what my writing's like by now then... well, no comment! Talking of comments, I understand that everyone is busy, but if a certain sister of mine, at least, could bother to comment on what I know she's reading, it would be much appreciated :P x**_

**Chapter 17**

Rachel sighed as she climbed out of her car, Phil instantly disappearing from sight into a crowd of students; however far they'd come at home he still hated being seen with her at school. As she locked the car and moved towards her office, wondering quite how she'd ended up arriving so late, she felt herself missing Eddie's presence at her side, shaking her head at her own sentimentality. She'd dropped him off at home to allow him to pick up a few more things for his time with them, and prevent them arriving together the second day running, which had seemed a very good idea at the time.

Now, however, well aware that with their various responsibilities they would have to spend most of the day apart, Rachel wished they could have stolen a few minutes together in her office before the day began. Still, she thought to herself as she pushed the door open, it wasn't like she wouldn't be seeing him tonight.

Smiling at that thought she entered her office, glancing behind her at the sound of voices and smiling at the sight of a group of year sevens walking down the corridor, laughing and joking together. As the door swung shut her eyes were already on her desk, and she had begun to move towards it when she spotted someone who must have been hidden behind the door coming at her out of the corner of her eye. Instantly terrified, Rachel screamed, attempting to leap away from the figure but finding herself flat against the wall.

Turning her head to look at them properly, attempt to work out who was in her office and why, Rachel was shocked to discover the face of the man she had been thinking about only moments earlier staring back at her. He opened his mouth, probably to apologise or ask if she was okay, but a rather shaken Rachel had already thrown herself into his arms, desperately needing the security to calm her breathing. Holding her shaking form tightly, Eddie reflected that perhaps hiding behind the door _hadn't_ been the brightest idea he'd ever had.

Seconds later, with Rachel still gripping on to Eddie tightly, the door to her office flew open again and Bolton appeared, closely followed by Paul, "Miss are you…" he trailed off at the sight in front of him, looking somewhat awkward, "Sorry, I, er, heard you screaming."

Pulling swiftly out of Eddie's embrace Rachel smiled at the pupils, hoping her blush wouldn't give too much away, "Yes, sorry, Mr Lawson just gave me quite a fright; if fact I nearly fell over the filing cabinet!" she laughed somewhat nervously, before she noticed the boys confused expressions, "He caught me." she filled in, gesturing somewhat needlessly in Eddie's direction as Bolton looked between the filing cabinet over the other side of the room and the spot just in front of them where his rather red headmistress was standing.

Paul sniggered slightly, but a sharp look from Bolton silenced him before he turned back to Rachel, "Of course Miss, must have been a nasty fall." The two boys left quickly, managing to contain their laughter until they had turned the corner; "Did you see the look on her face!"

Back inside the office, Rachel sighed, leaning back against Eddie as the door clicked shut again, "Why am I so useless at lying? And why do people always appear at the worst moments?"

Eddie laughed, "I think it was your scream that did it. Although," he paused, looking somewhat guilty, "sorry for jumping out at you; I thought it would be funny!"

Rachel glared at him, for once not joking, "Well it wasn't." she put a hand on her heart, "You frightened the life out of me Eddie, I thought it was…" she trailed off, shaking her head, "never mind, just don't do it again."

Eddie looked at her, his eyes concerned, "Rach? Is there something you're not telling me?"

She laughed slightly, shaking her head, "Sort of, but it really is silly." He simply looked at her, eyebrows raised and Rachel sighed, giving in, "Okay, my flat was broken into while I was at Uni. The guy thought I'd be out, but I wasn't feeling that great so I'd stayed home. I heard someone downstairs and went to investigate and caught him in the lounge, trying to unplug the DVD player," she paused, laughing slightly at the memory, "I'm not sure who was more scared when we saw each other, me or him. Anyway, he ran out the house pretty quickly, but he pushed me onto the sofa on the way out," she shrugged, "It didn't hurt me, I never did find out who it was but I suspect another student; he'd even aimed for the sofa to avoid me falling on the floor! Thing was, he was wearing a ski mask and when he came at me I was so scared," she laughed again, "like I said, it's silly because he never meant me any harm and it was years and years ago, but still, I wasn't expecting you to be here."

Eddie laughed softly, "Only you could disturb a burglar who took care not to hurt you as he escaped," he shook his head, smiling, "but sorry if I brought back bad memories. And I already had a bag of clothes in my car, they were there from…" this time it was Eddie's turn to trail off, "anyway, it meant I could just hop in my car and take the short-cut to school, I was hoping to surprise you."

Rachel looked at him dryly, "Well you certainly did that. And by short-cut, do you mean you went the wrong was up that one-way road?"

Eddie had the grace to look a little ashamed, "Yeah well there was no-one there… well, hardly anyone and I'm sure they didn't mind."

Rachel raised her eyebrows, "Hmm. Besides, why did you have clothes in your car, were you planning to go awa…" she trailed off, "oh."

Eddie drew her closer to him, speaking softly and reassuringly into her hair, "Would have been the biggest mistake I ever made. I'm not sure if I'd even have managed to go through with it, it would have felt like a betrayal somehow."

Rachel looked at the floor, speaking softly, "It did."

Eddie closed his eyes in pain at the words, holding her tighter, "I'm sorry sweetheart. I'm so, so sorry and if I could go back and change those stupid, _stupid_ decisions you know I would, I would in a heartbeat Rach."

She nodded against him, not feeling the need for any more words in that moment. They stood there for a long time, entwined in each other's arms, only breaking apart when they had to for assembly. And as they stood there, they realised that it couldn't always be happiness and laughter, and they both had a lot they needed to work through. But as long as they were there, together, it would all be okay.

Rachel sent Eddie into the hall ahead of her, giving her a couple of minutes to compose herself before following and ensuring that they wouldn't arrive together and add even more fuel to the rumours that were doubtless already circulating after Paul and Bolton's untimely appearance earlier. Sighing to herself, she tried to put the incident out of her mind, making a mental note to have a word with Steph later (if anyone would know what was being said about them, she would) and going over her assembly in her mind. It was not one she was looking forwards to giving, but it was necessary at this time of year. The Easter holidays were now a distant memory, and with only two weeks before students started disappearing on study leave a reminder of the importance of exams was probably in order. Sighing again at this depressing thought she left her office, heading through the familiar corridors to the assembly hall, pausing momentarily before placing her hand on the door, ready to push it open.

"Rachel, hang on a minute!" The voice was hurried and slightly out of breath and Rachel turned, finding her nephew standing next to her. She frowned, "Phil? What are you doing out here?"

The response came quickly, "Trying to warn you."

Rachel looked confused, "Warn me about what?" A thought of exactly what she might need warning about arrived in her mind but she ignored it, determined not to worry until she knew what was actually going on.

Phil sighed, "The entire school is talking about you and Eddie."

Rachel rolled her eyes, "Oh for goodness' sake I'd just tripped over! Well, I could have done. The rumours are based on nothing, they'll die soon enough." She turned to enter to hall again, but was stopped by Phil grabbing her arm, a grim look on his face.

He reached into his pocket, pulling out a creased piece of paper and handing it to her with a sigh, "I'm afraid not."

Frowning in confusion Rachel unfolded the paper to reveal a photograph… she gasped. The image showed her and Eddie two days earlier on the big wheel, kissing furiously as she tried to distract him from his fear of heights. She looked at Philip, "Where on earth did this come from?"

The fifteen-year-old sighed, glancing away from her, "Apparently one of the year nines was there and caught you. She was ill yesterday but she's printed out loads of these; they're all over the school." he paused, "Well, they were. I went round and took as many of them down as I could find, and Miss Haydock and Mr Clarkson seemed to be doing the same thing." He shrugged, "I thought I'd better warn you."

Rachel nodded, already trying to work out how to deal with this new turn of events, "Yeah, thanks Phil." A thought suddenly occurred to her, "Do you know where Eddie is?"

Philip sighed, "Yeah, someone made some comment about keeping it in the family and he just stormed out of the hall, I was a bit surprised actually, he's normally not that explosive, is he?"

Rachel shook her head, rubbing her temples to try and prevent the rapidly forming headache, "No, but we were talking about Mel a few minutes ago; he still feels really guilty about it." she sighed, "I'll go and see him later, right now I have an assembly to take."

Phil seemed to remember something, "Oh yeah, Miss Haydock told me to tell you she'd take it if you wanted." He looked a little bemused, "I was a bit surprised; I thought you two hated each other."

Rachel shook her head distractedly, seriously considering taking Steph up on her offer. Deciding however that she'd have to face the students at some point, she simply sighed, "Nope, I think I'd better do it." She gestured towards the hall, "Come on."

Pushing open the door Rachel entered the hall, wondering how many more times her private life was going to become public knowledge within these four walls. She was expecting the whispers that spread like wildfire at her appearance, but the lack of any other comments surprised her. Feeling a little unnerved she continued walking towards the stage, almost reaching her destination before she heard someone finally call out, "Bit late Miss, Mr Lawson been distracting you?" She'd barely had time to register the comment before Steph's voice rang out behind her, sounding angry, "Cooler, now please."

Turning in surprise, Rachel found the boy being escorted out of the room by Tom, as Steph gave the rest of the room a warning look before sitting back down again. Rachel smiled inwardly; it seemed her friends had been doing some damage control. Flashing her head of French a grateful smile, she retuned her eyes to the student body, and took a deep breath, "Okay, good morning everyone, today I need to talk to you about exams…"

Surprisingly enough, the rest of assembly passed pretty uneventfully, although every student in the room seemed to be scrutinising her throughout, making Rachel worry that something about her appearance was making her and Eddie's relationship clear. Still, no more comments were made (at least not to her, anyway) and after ten somewhat uncomfortable minutes, she was able to dismiss the student body with a small sigh of relief, watching as they filed out of the hall before turning her attention back to her staff, "Miss Haydock and Mr Clarkson can I have a quick word please?" the two in question nodded, and Rachel turned her attention back to the rest of the staff, "Everyone else can you try and be in the staff-room at break-time unless you're on duty please, it will only a take a few minutes but I _do_ need to talk to you."

As they nodded and departed, talking amongst themselves Steph and Tom appeared in front of her. Rachel smiled, about to speak, but was beaten to it by Steph, who turned quickly to Tom, "Tom would you mind if I had a quick private word with Rachel? Won't take a sec." He nodded, moving away from them and the blonde turned back to him.

Rachel raised her eyebrows slightly, "Steph?"

The other woman sighed, not meeting her eyes, "I had to tell them, I'm sorry." Seeing Rachel's look of angry disbelief, she quickly corrected herself, "the staff, I mean, not the students!" Rachel's expression relaxed somewhat, and Steph felt it safe to continue, "Those posters were appearing all over school, I knew the only way they'd help me deal with it was if they weren't too busy gossiping themselves." She sighed, "I'm sorry, I know you wanted to do it."

Rachel shook her head, "Don't worry about it, I'd rather you told them than they started asking the students." She turned to Tom, who was stood some distance away, staring into space, "Tom, you can come back now, thanks."

He nodded, crossing over to the two women and Rachel smiled, "I just wanted to thank you two for this morning; Phil told me it was you that had been helping him get rid of the pictures, and you'd obviously spoken to the students before I arrived." She smiled, "I'd almost been expecting a riot, so actually being able to conduct an assembly was a rather wonderful surprise."

Steph laughed, "I think they realised we meant business after I gave Maxine two weeks detention for that comment she made to Eddie."

Rachel paled, "Oh crap, Eddie!"

Steph looked at her, "Rachel?"

She shook her head, "He disappeared because he's still feeling awful about the Melissa thing; if I don't find him he's going to decide I blame him for all this. Oh I've got to go!" She turned and began walking quickly from the hall, stopped by Steph's voice, "Rachel! He'll be in the maths supply cupboard."

Rachel turned, her expression somewhat incredulous, "What?"

Steph shook her head, looking bewildered, "Don't ask me why, but he always goes in there when he needs to think, usually about you."

Rachel frowned, "Right… but how come you know about it?"

Steph rolled her eyes, "He gets quite talkative when he's drunk." she frowned, "He also cries a lot…"

Raising her eyebrows Rachel shook her head, hurrying out of the hall and towards the maths department.

Arriving, Rachel pushed open the door to the supply cupboard, feeling a little ridiculous but spotting Eddie sat in there, his head in his hands. Sighing, she let the door swing shut behind her and crossed the room, sitting on a pile of text-books next to him and placing a hand on his shoulder, "Eddie?"

He turned away from her, "Did they crucify you?"

She laughed slightly, "No, it was okay actually, Steph and Tom had got them under control by the time I arrived; sounds like you got the worst of it."

"Good."

Rachel frowned, "Eddie, what?"

She saw him shrug his shoulders, "I'd rather I got it than you."

Rachel sighed, feeling a little confused, "Eddie, they're kids, they make stupid and sometimes slightly hurtful remarks, we just ignore it."

"I know."

She rolled her eyes in exasperation, "Eddie, what on earth's the matter, just look at me will you?"

She saw him shake his head, "I'd rather not. And you don't have to worry, I'll go out at lunch and pick up my stuff, by the time you get home it'll be as though I was never there."

Rachel's breath caught in her throat and the room seemed to spin around her. He couldn't be saying what she thought he was, could he? "Eddie? What are you talking about?"

His voice remained almost expressionless, although she was sure she could hear a little reluctance in the words, "Look, it's okay. I know you, remember Rach, you don't have to pretend. I'll be gone by the end of the day."

For a moment, Rachel didn't speak, couldn't speak, as she realised that she hadn't been jumping to conclusions, he really was leaving her. She abruptly removed her hand from his shoulder, and her voice was shaking as she spoke, "But I thought… I thought…" she shook her head as a single tear made its way down her cheek and found herself reduced to begging, "Eddie please, don't do this, you can't do this, _I_ can't do this."

Finally he turned to look at her, and Rachel was shocked to see that his eyes were red raw as though he has been crying for quite some time, when he spoke, however, his tone was harsh, "I know you can't. That's why I'm making it easier for you."

Suddenly she was angry, hurt, but angry. Angry that he'd made so many false promises, letting her trust him and rely on him only to disappear like everyone else, "How the hell are you making this easy for me?"

He flinched at her tone, his eyes returning to the floor, "I'm sorry, you know that I'm sorry, but come on I'll be gone by the end of the day, I didn't even make you tell me, what more can I do Rach?"

She bit down hard on her lip, not wanting to break-down in front of him, not when he was being like this, "You could stay, Eddie. You could try not leaving me on my own at the first sign of trouble and breaking my heart in the process."

He looked at her, his eyes wide, "What?"

She turned away, "You heard me."

Suddenly, Eddie realised that maybe he didn't know her as well as he'd thought. He reached out, touching her shoulder gently, "You want me to stay?"

She turned to look at him, her expression incredulous, "Of course I do Eddie, but what I want doesn't really matter now, does it? Because…" but the rest of what she had been going to say was lost as he pulled her into his arms, crushing her against him as he dropped his head onto her shoulder, crying into her top.

For a moment, Rachel froze, trying to work out what the hell was going on. Then she felt Eddie shaking against her, his tears seeping through to her skin, and she wrapped her arms around him, rubbing his shoulder, "Hey it's okay, it's okay. Whatever it is we'll deal with it, okay? It's alright." It felt odd to be the one giving comfort for once, particularly when he had been leaving her only moments earlier. But he was Eddie, and she loved him, and he was crying. So she gave as much comfort as she could.

Eddie shook his head slightly, "I thought you'd want me to go."

Rachel's movements stopped suddenly as she froze at the words, "What?"

He sniffed slightly, trying to compose himself a little although he'd already made such an idiot of himself he supposed there wasn't much he could do to redeem himself now, "You're so professional Rach, I thought the students…"

Suddenly she was pushing him away from her, allowing her to look at him, a burning anger in her eyes which were still glistening from the unshed tears, "Don't you _ever_ make that sort of decision for me. Do you hear me? **Never**."

Eddie nodded, pulling her back into his arms, his tears now subsiding as he realised he wasn't going to have to leave, "I love you so much."

She smiled up at him, "I love you too Eddie, even if you can be an idiot sometimes."


	18. Chapter 18

_**A/N: Well guys, this is almost it, the penultimate chapter :/. Once I've got this all poster I might actually have to start writing again, you never know; it's been ages since I've actually written anything, well, anything I'm willing to share anyway! So, without further ado, here you go:**_

**Chapter 18**

Once they had parted (with Eddie checking the coast was clear first; emerging from a cupboard together wouldn't look good) Eddie hurried off to his year eights, leaving Rachel to return to her office, and her paperwork. She sighed slightly as she walked through the corridors, shaking her head at Eddie's assumptions but glad they had come to nothing; if it had taken them a couple of minutes longer to realise that they both wanted this she feared she would have been locked in her office, crying for the demise of their fledgling relationship.

Shaking her head to clear the rather depressing thoughts she glanced out the window, surprised to find a group of six or so year nines outside, crowded around something she couldn't see. Instantly suspicious she turned, making her way through the double door and across to them, "Hello girls, why aren't you in lessons?"

She was expecting guilt or an explanation, but they just looked glad to see her, "Miss, come look, we just found it here, it looks really sick."

Frowning at their cryptic words Rachel stepped forwards, looking down into a small cardboard box to find a tiny grey and white kitten, painfully thin and with matted fur, mewling pathetically. She gasped slightly at the sight of it, and reached down, concerned to find it shivering. Picking up the box carefully, she turned to the group of girls, "Does anyone know where it came from?"

They shook their heads, "No Miss, we just found it there; I think it needs to see a vet."

She nodded, "It certainly looks like it. Now, I'll deal with it from here if that's okay, get to your lessons."

The girls nodded and scurried off, leaving Rachel looking down into the box in dismay. She'd never kept pets, and never really had any desire to, but looking down into the box she felt an instant affection for the tiny kitten, so small and helpless. Seeing it shiver again she shrugged off her cardigan, wrapping it around the cat's tiny form in an attempt to keep it warm and walking quickly in the direction of her office.

Arriving, she slipped inside, placing the box in a stream of sunlight coming through the window and sitting down at her desk, instantly searching the internet for a local vet's surgery. Finding one, she picked up the phone, dialling the number and holding it to her ear as the ringing tone sounded, waiting for someone to pick up.

Rachel walked through the corridors quickly and purposefully, her coat already wrapped around her and the box with the kitten held carefully in her arms. Reaching her destination, she knocked on the door, causing Eddie to look round from where he was writing something on the smart-board and begin to make his way over to the door. Shaking her head, Rachel entered the room, knowing that disappearing out of sight of the students would only cause more gossip to be spread. Stopping in front of him, she gestured to the box, "I've got to go to the vets, I hopefully shouldn't be more than an hour but you know how these things go. I'm leaving you in charge; I've warned Bridget."

Eddie looked confused, "You're going to the vets?"

Rachel held the box up, revealing the kitten, "Some students found it outside, brought it to me, but it needs treatment Eddie, look at it."

Shaking his head, Eddie smiled, "You are getting sentimental Miss Mason!"

The students laughed and Rachel blushed, "Yes yes okay, but you'll keep the school in one piece until I get back?"

Eddie made shooing motions with his hands, "Of course I will, especially if you let me finish my lesson!"

Laughing, Rachel left, heading towards her car and looking down at the small ball of fur in the box. Somehow, she didn't think the kitten would be leaving her side very soon.

Rachel entered the vet's surgery somewhat nervously, holding the kitten in her arms after having abandoned the box and looking at the several large dogs with trepidation. Was this safe? Deciding they almost certainly knew what they were doing she made her was over to the reception desk, to be greeted by a smiling brunette, "Hi, can I help you?"

Rachel smiled, "Yeah, Rachel Mason, I called about half an hour ago; I've found a very ill kitten."

The girl nodded, but then seemed to realise something, "Miss Mason? Oh my God it _is_ you, Ella never stops talking about you, she reckons you're her idol!"

Rachel stared blankly back at the girl, "Ella?"

"Ella Matthews, year ten, she goes to Waterloo Road."

The name rang a bell, and Rachel smiled somewhat awkwardly, "Yes, of course, well thanks for the compliment…"

This seemed to satisfy the girl, who then looked down at a piece of paper on the desk, "Okay, you'll be seeing Mr Griffiths, he should be with you soon."

Rachel nodded her thanks and went to sit down in a quiet corner, holding the kitten close in an attempt to keep it safe and warm, smiling as it purred slightly at the contact.

A moment later a short balding man stepped out from behind one of the surgery doors and took some notes from the girl Rachel had been talking to earlier. Glancing at them, he called, "Rachel Mason?"

She stood, following him into a small room with a large metal table in the middle of it, and standing somewhat awkwardly just inside the door, taking everything in and wondering quite how she'd got through life without ever having been in a vet's surgery before. Turning to face her, the vet smiled, "Hi, I'm James, what can I do for you?"

Rachel smiled, instantly feeling more at ease with the man's friendliness, "Hi, a couple of my students found this kitten just dumped, it looks really sick I just thought this was the best place to bring it."

The man nodded, removing the bundle from her arms, causing the kitten to mewl weakly in response. As he laid it gently on the examination table to look it over, he spoke to Rachel, "Am I to assume you're going to be taking care of it? Because if not I'll have to get the RSPCA involved; someone's got the foot the bill I'm afraid."

Rachel was suddenly unsure, "I hadn't really thought that far ahead… I've never kept pets before, I'm not sure if I could…"

The vet smiled at her, "What do you do?"

Rachel frowned, "Pardon?"

James laughed, "Your job, what do you do? If you're in a position of any responsibility you'll probably do just fine."

Rachel laughed, "I guess you could say that; I'm a head-teacher!"

The vet rolled his eyes, "Well if you can do that, I would imagine this little bundle of fur would be easy work!"

Rachel nodded, unable to take her eyes from the kitten as it attempted to stand up, wobbling slightly. She smiled, "Do you mind if I quickly make a call, I can use my phone in here?"

The vet nodded, "Of course, other half?"

Rachel nodded, dialling Eddie's number and lifting the phone to her ear, listening as it rang, "Hi Rach, everything okay?"

She smiled at the sound of his voice, "Yes, fine thanks. Listen, can I keep the kitten, please?"

Eddie laughed, "Rach I don't know why you're asking me. It's you're house, not mine, I don't need to have any say in it!"

Rachel's breath caught in her throat and she felt tears sting her eyes. She took a deep breath, before saying stiffly, "Yes, of course, bye Eddie." She didn't even give him a chance to respond before she hung up, looking fixedly at the wall for a moment as she composed herself before looking back at the vet, who was watching her with a concerned expression, "Everything alright?"

She smiled weakly, "I'll live." She nodded towards the kitten, "He… she… the kitten can come home with me."

The vet smiled, "That's great news, and it's female."

She nodded, and he began to explain the special care it would need, thankfully writing clear instructions down, because Rachel wasn't listening to a word he said. All she could hear were Eddie's words, going around and around in her head _'I don't need to have any say in it!'_

She'd thought he got a say in everything now, that they sorted things together, after all that's what they'd said only that morning. It seemed she had been wrong. Again.

Eddie sat in Rachel's office as the students chatted and laughed outside, enjoying their lunch-break. He had intended to get some paperwork done for her, but his mind kept going back to that phone-call earlier. She'd seemed fine, happy and laughing, and then she'd suddenly gone very cold and hung up almost immediately. Had something happened? Had _he_ done something? He frowned, thinking back over the conversation, had she wanted him to offer to help look after the cat? He wasn't really a cat person, but if she needed a hand she must know he'd gladly give one, he'd never been able to say no to her.

He sighed, giving up on trying to second guess what was going on in her mind, and returning his attention to the paperwork. A couple of minutes later, his focus was broken once again, this time by Rachel appearing through the door, the kitten in her arms, looking troubled. He immediately stood, crossing over to her side and placing a hand on her arm, "Rach, everything okay?"

She bit her lip, not wanting to make a big deal out of this. After all, he hadn't ended their relationship; it just seemed that she was taking it a little more seriously than he was. And that could change, right? One day, if she played this right, one day he might feel for her a tiny bit of what she felt for him. And so she smiled at him, a tight smile that didn't reach her eyes, "Yeah, I'm fine."

And then she turned away, placing the dozing kitten in its makeshift basket by the radiator and pausing a little longer than necessary, letting the sight of it so relaxed calm her. Eddie watched her worriedly, well aware that there was something wrong, even if she wouldn't tell him what. He decided to ask about the one thing that seemed to hold most of her attention at the moment, "So how's the kitten? Is it coming home with us?"

She visibly flinched at the words, but composed herself quickly, "She'll be okay, just needs some TLC, and yes of course she's coming home with me."

Eddie wasn't stupid, he noticed her choice of wording and stepping forwards, placing his hands on her arms in an attempt to get her to look at him, "Rach? What's wrong?"

She pulled away from him sharply, even though all she wanted to do was fall into his arms and cry, cursing herself for being so weak, "Nothing you need to worry about." She snapped, making Eddie more concerned than ever.

"Rach, if it's upsetting you then of course I'm worried. Come on, tell me what's wrong, I thought we sorted things together?" His tone was soft, almost pleading, but the words were the worst thing he could have said in the circumstances.

Rachel swung around, her eyes burning with anger and hurt, and spat the words at him, "Yeah, well so did I. Seems we were both wrong, doesn't it?"

She turned away from him again, her breathing ragged, determined that she wasn't going to cry over this and cursing herself for yelling at him; she hadn't wanted to come across as needy or let him know his words had hurt her.

Eddie, meanwhile, had frozen, her words spinning around his head as he tried to make sense of them. When had he suggested that they didn't sort things together? He let his mind wander back over the conversation that had started all of this, and realisation struck. He let out a soft "Oh" of comprehension, before taking the initiative, crossing the room and wrapping his arms around her from behind, "Oh Rach, I didn't mean… I just thought it was a decision you had to make yourself, after all this is going to be primarily your responsibility, and it _is_ your house, even if I have no intentions of leaving it any time soon! I love you Rachel Mason, and although I may say the _stupidest_ things sometimes, you mustn't ever forget that."

She relaxed as she spoke, leaning back against him and letting his presence calm her, before finally turning in his embrace, resting her head against his chest, "I've been jumping to conclusions again, haven't I?"

He laughed softly, holding her tightly ad dropping a gentle kiss onto the top of her head, "A little, but you know I love you for it."

She looked up, meeting his eyes and seeing all the emotion he felt of her shimmering there, "I do" she breathed, as his lips came down and covered hers, sealing the admission.

The gentle kiss was broken by a plaintive mewl from the corner of the room, which had Rachel pulled swiftly away from Eddie and running quickly to the kitten's side, holding her hand out for her to sniff. The small bundle of grey and white fur did so, stepping forwards on unsteady legs and butting her head against Rachel's hand. She smiled, gently stroking the top of the kitten's head, before it suddenly slumped sideways onto the floor.

Rachel gasped, "Eddie! Eddie she just fell over!" He laughed, resting a hand on his girlfriend's shoulder to calm her, "It's okay Rach, cats do that, it seems sitting down conventionally takes too much time!"

She relaxed slightly, her smiled widening as the kitten began purring. She laughed slightly, "Oh, okay then." She looked up at Eddie, "I think I have a lot to learn!"

He laughed, squeezing her shoulder gently, "Don't worry about it Rach; cats are pretty straight-forward – they're happy as long as they have food!"

Rachel giggled, "Oh, like men then?"

Eddie gasped theatrically, "Are you comparing me to a kitten?"

Rachel pretended to think about it, looking between him and the cat, finally shaking her head, "Nah, there's no competition…" Eddie smiled at her, and she smirked slightly as she continued, "The cat's much cuter!"

Eddie stepped away from her, making a 'hmph' noise as he turned to face the wall. Rachel laughed, "Aww come on Eddie, I didn't know you wanted to be cute!" He continued to ignore her. Rachel rolled her eyes, "Okay, if you grow up and turn around then I'll let you name the cat."

Eddie turned, his eyes lighting up, "Really?"

Rachel grinned, "Really. Only nothing too silly! And she's a girl, remember!"

Eddie looked thoughtful for a moment, "No names that could be taken to mean something else then?" He asked, raising an eyebrow suggestively.

Rachel rolled her eyes, laughing, "No!"

Eddie sighed loudly, pretending to sulk, "Fine! How about… Pythagoras?"

Rachel laughed, "Eddie! Pythagoras was a man!"

Eddie looked affronted, "He wasn't _just_ a man, Rachel. He was one of the most talented pioneers…"

Rachel held a hand up, silencing him, "Yes, okay Eddie, but he was still male. And the kitten isn't. It sounds like a man's name, as well; Pythagoras." She looked thoughtful for a moment, "You can name her after a mathematician if you really want to, Eddie, just not Pythagoras."

This seemed to please him, and he grinned widely at her, before beginning to think, staring intently at the cat as he muttered various possibilities, "Hmm, Matrix, no everyone will think of the film, er, algebra, no, too obvious, okay, trig… no, sounds too much like 'twig' and trigonometry's too long…" he began to run out of inspiration, "er, Rectangle!"

The cat let out a loud discontented meow, and Rachel laughed, "Don't think she likes that one, Eddie!"

He smiled vaguely at her, already thinking again, when suddenly his face lit up, "Fibbonaci!"

The cat purred loudly (probably more to do with Rachel stroking her head than the name, but they weren't to know that!) and Rachel grinned, "Okay, Fibbonaci it is! Fib for short, perhaps."

Eddie glared at her, "You can't shorten Fibbonaci, it's a…" Rolling her eyes, Rachel kissed him firmly on the lips, silencing him as she made a mental note to never, ever, bring up maths with him again unless strictly necessary.

Pulling away, Eddie smiled, "You did that just to shut me up, didn't you?"

Rachel laughed, "Yup!"

Eddie looked thoughtful for a moment, then looked back at her, smirking slightly, "You know what, I think I might have to ramble on about absolute rubbish more often…"

Rolling her eyes, Rachel put a finger on his lips, "Oh no you don't, or I'll send you to bed with no dinner!" she laughed.

Eddie grinned, "I wouldn't mind if you came with me!"

Rachel raised her eyes heavenwards, "I swear that's all you ever think about Eddie!"

He laughed, hooking an arm around her waist to draw her towards him, "Nah," he leant down and kissed her, "I think about food a fair amount too! Talking of which, shall we go get some lunch?"

Rachel paused, caught in indecision for a moment, before sighing with regret and shaking her head, "I can't, Eddie, I have to look after Fib."

He smiled at the use of the name, then rolled his eyes, "I think my place in your heart is being taken over by that damn cat!"

Rachel raised her eyebrows, "You think you had a place in my heart to begin with?"

Eddie grinned, leaning down to brush his lips softly against hers, lowering his voice to a whisper that tickled across her skin, "I know I did."

She smiled softly, leaning forwards to kiss him again, surprised when he pulled away. Noticing her disappointed look, Eddie laughed, "Hey don't look like that, I'm going to go and get us some lunch, bring it up here so you don't have to leave the cat, how does that sound?"

Rachel smiled, touched by the simple gesture, "That sounds great Eddie, you're a star."

He laughed, "Oh, I know!" Exiting the office and leaving her behind.

Rachel grinned, shaking her head slightly as she crouched down next to the kitten, speaking softly so as not to frighten her, "Oh I know Fib, he's a bit nutty, but trust me, he's just a big marshmallow really!"

Fibonacci purred, rubbing her head along Rachel's hand, staggering slightly on her small legs. The headmistress smiled, scooping the small cat into her arms and holding her against her chest, looking down into the small furry face, "You've had a tough time of it, haven't you little one? Don't worry sweetheart, Eddie and I will look after you now." She smiled again, her expression thoughtful, "And you know what Fib? If he looks after you even half as well as he looks after me you'll be the luckiest cat in the world."

Eddie reappeared about five minutes later with lunch, smiling at the sight of Rachel sat on the floor of her office, the kitten now curled contentedly up in her lap, "Awww, Rach…"

She glared at him, putting a finger to her lips and whispering, "Sshhh Eddie, she's asleep!"

He laughed softly, "She's not going to wake up just because I'm talking to you you know."

Rachel laughed slightly guiltily, looking down at the kitten in her arms, "Yeah well, she's so small and fragile and beautiful."

Eddie crossed the room, lowering himself to the floor beside her and reaching across the stroke the kitten gently, "That makes two of you then."

Rachel smiled, leaning across to kiss him softly, "You're so soppy Eddie."

He grinned, "Yeah, maybe, but you love it!"

She laughed, kissing him again, "I'm not denying that," she paused, looking at him, her expression suddenly serious, "I've denied it for far too long."

Eddie smiled softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer to him, "Maybe, but that just makes what we have now all that much more special."

She grinned, shaking her head before allowing it to fall against his arm, "How do you always know the right thing to say."

Eddie laughed, raising his eyebrows as he looked down at her, "Oh I don't, you can't tell me you've already forgotten all the time's I've messed up!"

She shook her head with a smile, "Nope, afraid not, and anyway even if I did I'm sure you'd be there messing up again soon enough to remind me!"

He chuckled, "You know me far too well Miss Mason."

She shifted, glaring up at him, "Please stop calling me that when we're alone Eddie, it's… creepy…"

Eddie waved his hands around in a 'creepy' fashion, "Duh de duh de… darrrrrr!"

Rachel laughed, rolling her eyes, "Yeah. That's not creepy, that's just plain odd!"

He grinned, "I've always been odd Rachel, you can't tell me you've only just noticed?"

She laughed, about to reply when the ringing of the phone on her desk cut through her thoughts. Hurriedly passing Fibonacci to Eddie she stood, crossing the room and picking up the phone, "Hello?" Her expression quickly changed to annoyance, "Well not really, I'm supposed to here this afternoon… no, of course I understand, it's just that I have responsibilities here… no I'm not saying that, all I'm saying is… Okay, fine, I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Goodbye."

She slammed the phone down and Eddie stood, the kitten still in his arms, crossing the room in concern, "Rachel? Everything alright?"

She turned to look at her, her expression relaxing into a smile, "Yeah, sorry, they've called an emergency board meeting because apparently some of the figures don't add up. Not that that's actually my responsibility, but apparently I have to be there." She sighed, "I'm going to need you to keep an eye for the afternoon."

Eddie nodded, "Of course, do you know what time you'll be back?"

She shook her head, rolling her eyes, "No idea, but it sounds like it could go on for a while," she paused, evidently uncomfortable before she finally looked up, meeting Eddie's eyes, "Would you mind taking Philip home, making sure he eats something, I really don't know when I'll be back," her eyes flicked to the kitten, "And she needs her meds as well, the instructions are in that bag over there… oh I'm sorry to be asking you for all of this!"

Eddie laughed, leaning forwards to kiss her softly, "Hey don't worry, it's what I'm here for. Now you obviously have to hurry off, I'll see you whenever you can escape, okay?"

She nodded, smiling, "That would be nice."

He grinned, "Good, because I'm around now, whether you want me there or not."

She laughed, gathering up her things and leaving the office, Eddie contemplating the truth of his words. It had been only days since they'd got together, but it seemed much longer, and now he couldn't imagine life without her. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. The thought was warming, and caused a slow smile to spread across his face. _Forever._


	19. Chapter 19

_**A/N: Well guys, we're finally here… it's the last chapter. I've enjoyed posting this, and while I might have moaned about lack of reviews from time to time (I'm looking at you Ella) the scarcity of them has made each and every one that bit more special. So this is from everyone who's reviewed, thank you, and thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy it:**_

**Chapter 19**

Rachel was sat in the board meeting, trying her hardest to focus on what was being said and prevent her mind from wandering to Eddie, Philip and her newfound happiness, completely unaware that in her office Eddie was having much the same problem. With a free period and very little marking to do he'd intended to try and get some paperwork done for her, well aware that she had too much to cope with at the moment. But sat here, in her office, he was finding it increasing difficult to keep his mind away from his earlier realisation. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. He never, ever wanted them to have to be apart.

He was pretty certain she felt the same way about him. Which meant that maybe, just maybe… no, the thought was preposterous. They'd been together all of five days, and he'd been engaged to her sister before that. But still…

Eddie shook his head, trying to keep his wishes at bay. He loved her. He wanted to be with her. So he _couldn't_ mess this up, and coming on too strong now might well do. Besides, there was Philip to think about, Philip who had far too much to worry about now without adding that to the list. Without really thinking about it, his hand found its way into his jacket pocket, locating the small box that had been there for months. As though in a trance, he pulled it out, setting it on the desk in front of him and staring at it, finding himself instantly transported back to when he had bought it.

It was a week after the fire, and she'd still been in a coma in hospital. He'd sat by her bed that morning, and he'd told her how much he loved her, and assured her that when she woke up he was going to stop hiding his feelings and do something about them. He'd told her he'd do anything for her. When visiting hours were over he'd walked into town to get some lunch, passing the Jewellers as he did so. He still didn't know what it was that had made him pause outside the window, or what it was about that particular ring that had seemed to suit her so perfectly, but before he knew what he was doing he'd bought it, leaving the shop and stowing the small box in his pocket, resolving that if, no, _when_ she woke up, he'd give it to her.

She'd woken a few days later, and he'd realised instantly that she needed time to heal before she could even think about any more changes in her life. He'd decided to help her with that first, and then speak to her when she was better. But then she'd pushed him away, and somehow, he still wasn't sure how, he'd ended up wit her sister, making the biggest mistake he'd ever make.

And yet the ring had remained hers, somehow. It had never left his pocket, and even when he'd made the idiotic decision to propose to Mel the thought of using _her_ ring had never even crossed his mind. And so it had stayed there, nestled in his pocket, and now he didn't know what to do. It wasn't going to go anywhere, and he really should wait at least a few weeks before making any huge commitments like that. But, somehow, the time seemed right now. Could he really do it, only five days into their relationship? It was stupid and foolhardy and would probably lead to her laughing in his face, but somehow, he still wanted to. He guessed love made people do strange things.

It was half past eight when Rachel finally fell through her front door, smiling weakly at Eddie as he appeared from the lounge, his happy expression quickly turning to one of concern at the look on her face, "Is everything alright Rach?"

She sighed, relaxing into his arms as he appeared at her side, "Yeah, the meeting just seemed to go on forever; I'm shattered!"

He laughed, rubbing her back sympathetically, "Have you eaten?"

She looked up at him guiltily, "Yeah, sorry I grabbed a sandwich on the way home; you haven't been waiting for me have you?"

He shook his head with a smile, "Nah, I ate with Phil, I didn't know what time you were going to be back."

Rachel rolled her eyes, "Neither did I, I was beginning to wonder whether we were going to be there all night!"

Eddie laughed, "It's only half eight!"

Rachel glared at him, eyebrows raised, "Yeah, and I've normally been home at least three hours by now, even if I've been working there. There wasn't even any real need for me to be _at_ the bloody meeting!"

He smiled, leaning down to kiss her softly, "Hey, relax, you're home now."

She laughed softly, realising how she must have sounded, "Yeah," she looked up at him, a contented smile playing across her lips, "with you."

Eddie nodded, grinning, "With me."

They stood in silence for a moment, before she pulled away suddenly, looking decisive, "Right, I'm going to go and have a bath, I'll see you in a bit."

Eddie smirked at her, "Want some company?"

Rachel laughed, rolling her eyes as she swatted him playfully on the arm, "No, I want some time to myself. Go talk to Phil or something," she paused, her eyes seeking his, "Where _is_ Phil, by the way?"

Eddie laughed, "Where do you think? He's being a teenage boy; in his room, playing computer games."

Rachel nodded, grinning, "Okay, go make yourself useful, I'll be down later."

He nodded, and she disappeared upstairs, smiling to herself and leaving Eddie stood frozen in the hallway, his hand making its way to the box in his pocket. Could he, really? Suddenly coming to a decision, he followed Rachel's earlier pathway up the stairs, turning off and pausing outside Phil's door, knocking softly.

"Come in."

Eddie entered, crossing the room and perching somewhat awkwardly on the side of Philip's bed, looking over his shoulder as he paused the game he was playing and turned, "Hi Eddie, what did you want?"

Eddie looked at the floor, making Phil frown in concern, before he brought his eyes back up to meet the boy in front of him, swallowing nervously, "Well, you see, I wanted to ask you something…"

Phil frowned, looking confused, "Okay…"

Eddie looked away, his gaze landing on a poster on the wall as he let the words slip from his lips, "Er, I just wondered… what would you say if I was to ask Rachel to marry me?"

There was a long pause, and Eddie finally brought his eyes back to his Phil's face, afraid of what he would find there. To his surprise, however, the teenager was smiling, shaking his head slightly in disbelief, "I think it's completely insane considering how long you've been together," Eddie's face fell, but Phil continued, "and I think it's a fantastic idea!"

Eddie looked up again, surprised, "Really?"

Phil rolled his eyes, "Have you seen how she looks at you?"

Eddie blushed slightly, looking away, "In much the same way as I look at her?"

Phil laughed, pushing Eddie away, "Oh God soppiness alert! Go away before I throw up!"

Eddie laughed too, standing and making his way to the door, stopped by Phil's voice, much smaller now, "Oh and Eddie?"

He turned, "Yeah?"

Philip blushed, looking away, "Thanks for asking."

Eddie smiled, "No problem mate, I wasn't going to do it without checking with you first."

Rachel emerged from the bathroom, her hair hanging damp around her shoulders and a smile on her face, much more relaxed than she'd been earlier that evening. Making her way downstairs, she was surprised to notice an unfamiliar smell, and her suspicions were amplified when Eddie appeared out of the lounge, looking nervous. She frowned slightly, "Eddie, is something going on?"

He didn't reply, crossing quickly to her side and taking her hand, leading her towards the lounge. She stopped, pulling him back towards her with a suspicious look, "Eddie, what are you doing?" she looked away suddenly, "Am I about to get a nasty surprise?"

Eddie frowned, "I don't think so, at least, I hope not…"

She looked up at him, her expression suddenly afraid, "Eddie, tell me, Mel's not…"

He shook his head, silencing her with a gentle kiss before pulling away, "Relax Rachel, please."

She nodded, feeling very out of place and awkward as he led her into the lounge, gasping slightly as she entered. He'd drawn the curtains, and every candle in the house seemed to have been assembled their and lit, casting a soft orange glow over the room and resulting in that strange smell she'd identified earlier. The room had been tidied as well, she noticed, and there was a vase of roses on the coffee table. She frowned, turning back to him, "Eddie…?"

He smiled, "Like you say, you were out for a long time. Sit down, Rachel."

She did so, still looking confused, "Eddie, what's all this in aid of?"

He sat next to her, shifting so that he was looking into her eyes, speaking softly, "I love you Rachel Mason."

She smiled, leaning forwards to kiss him softly, "I know Eddie, and I love you too."

He shook his head, breaking away from her as he tried to frame the words, "No, Rach, you don't understand. I love you more than I've ever loved anyone else, we've wasted so much time," he sighed, looking into her eyes again, "And I know most of that was my fault." She opened her mouth to object but he shook his head, placing a finger on her lips, "No, let me speak this time."

She fell silent, feeling a little bewildered by the whole situation. It seemed, prepared, as though he was leading up to something, almost as though he was going to… She quickly dismissed the thought, knowing better than to hope for something like that so soon. She returned her attention to the man in front of her, who'd begun speaking again, "Rachel, I know this is unorthodox, and it seems so soon, but, well, what I'm trying to say is…"

He slipped from the sofa on to the floor, pulling a small box from his pocket as he knelt in front of her, making Rachel's breath catch in her throat. Surely this wasn't what it looked like? Eddie opened the box, revealing a sparkling ring as he spoke, "Rachel I love you with all my heart, and however soon this seems I have to say it… will you marry me?"

There was silence for a moment, and when Eddie met Rachel's eyes he saw that tears had gathered in them, and she bit her lip as she attempted to speak, "Eddie, I…"

He held his breath, suddenly terrified of what her next words would be, but then she broke into a smile, "Yes!" she was laughing, and crying, as she slipped from the sofa and threw her arms around him, "Yes of course I will Eddie!"

He held her tightly, pulling backwards just enough to allow him to kiss her passionately, before pulling away breathless, a huge smile on his face, "Are you sure? Because I know it's so soon and it's almost weird but it feels like we've been together much longer than that and I love you so much…"

She captured his lips again, silencing him, before pulling back with a roll of her eyes, "Stop rambling Eddie, of course I'm sure, I love you!"

He laughed ecstatically, hugging her again before pulling away, reached for her hand and slipping the ring on, making her eyes sparkle with tears once again as she admired it in the candle-light, "Oh Eddie… thank you."

He pulled her close again, kissing her softly on the forehead before turning to his left, smiling, "You can come out now."

Rachel looked confused, and then Philip appeared from behind one of the sofas, video camera in hand and a huge smile on his face as he crossed the room, "Congratulations!"

Rachel laughed, still grinning, "Thank you! But… why were you hiding?"

Eddie blushed, looking at the floor, "Yeah, that was my idea, I wanted some sort of keepsake if you said yes. Phil said he'd film it for me… sorry, it was probably really stupid…"

Rachel smiled, kissing him quickly to shut him up before pulling away again, very aware of her nephew's presence, "I think it was sweet." She wrapped one arm around his shoulders and the other around Phil's, glancing between them with a smile, "Look at us; a proper little family!"

Both men grinned, looking at each other and then at Rachel, echoing the sentiment, "A proper family."

**The End**


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